Five killed, 2 hurt as fire guts Pitampura building

Five people died and two were critically injured in a fire at a residential building in northwest Delhi. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Five people were killed and two more were critically injured after a blaze swept through a residential building at Pitampura in northwest Delhi on Thursday evening, fire department officials and police officers aware of the case said.

Five killed, 2 hurt as fire guts Pitampura building

A senior police officer said that the fire broke out at a four-storey building in ZP Block of Pitampura. “It’s suspected that the fire started from the upper ground floor and spread to the rest of the building, but it’s still a matter of investigation,” the officer said, on condition of anonymity.

Deputy commissioner of police (northwest) Jitendra Meena confirmed five people were killed in the incident — two men and three women. The five deceased, according to a preliminary probe, were not from the same family and are suspected to be residents of different floors, Meena said.

Delhi Fire Services director Atul Garg said the fire department received a call about a blaze in a house at 8.07pm, following which eight fire tenders were pressed into service.

A video of the rescue operation showed firefighters bringing a victim down a smoke-filled staircase on a stretcher.

By 10pm, fire department officials said, the fire was completely doused but firefighters were conducting search operation to see if anyone was stuck in the building. Search operations were still underway at the time of filing this report.

“People were taken out from different floors. According to preliminary probe, the fire began from first floor and most people who sustained injuries were residents of the upper ground floor,” the police officer quoted above said.