Nine members of a family, including three children, were killed as a fire broke out in a four-storey building in Palam area of Southwest Delhi on Wednesday morning.
The building, in a congested lane near the Ram Chowk Market, close to the Palam Metro station, housed a cosmetics shop in the basement and ground floor, while its owner, Rajender Kashyap, lived in the upper floors with his family.
Kashyap, an AAP worker and president of the Ram Chowk Market Association, was in Goa at the time of the incident. His wife Lado Devi (70), their sons Pravesh (33) and Kamal (39), daughter Himanshi (22), daughters-in-law Ashu (35) and Deepika (28), and three grandchildren aged 15, six and three years old, were killed in the blaze.
Express photo by Gajendra Yadav
In all, 12 people were in the building when the blaze started. Kashyap’s two other sons, Sachin (29) and Anil (32), as well as the latter’s two-year-old daughter sustained injuries and have been admitted to hospital.
The police suspect the fire could have resulted from a short circuit in a water motor in the building, which was on for hours. Police said the fire broke out around 6.45 am when most of the people were asleep.
The Delhi Fire Service said it received a call around 7 am and immediately sent 30 fire tenders, along with two hydraulic cranes, also known as Bronto Skylift. A family member alleged that only one hydraulic crane was sent, which suffered a malfunction, thus delaying rescue operations.
Expressing sorrow over the incident, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X: “The fire incident in Palam, Delhi, is saddening. I extend my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. An ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from PMNRF (Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund) would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.”
Express photo by Gajendra Yadav
In a post on X, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced an ex gratia of “Rs 10 lakh each to the families of the deceased adults; Rs 5 lakh each to the families of the deceased minors; Rs 2 lakh each to the seriously injured.” She said a magisterial inquiry has been ordered into the incident.
Calling the loss of innocent lives in the incident ‘heartbreaking,’ Gupta also extended her heartfelt condolences to the affected families.
Delhi Lt Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu, who chaired his first Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) meeting on Wednesday, directed a comprehensive fire audit across the city.
Hours after the fire, AAP criticised the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), stating that a “malfunctioning” hydraulic lift hampered rescue efforts.
While questioning the “inadequate safety arrangements”, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal said the rising number of fire incidents in the Capital was a concern, urging immediate, concrete measures to improve emergency response in areas with narrow lanes and multi-storey buildings.
Senior AAP leader and MP Sanjay Singh said in a post on X, “… Do people’s lives hold no value? When a government is incompetent, even minimum safety arrangements are not in place.”
Express photo by Gajendra Yadav
Timeline of the fire
6.30 am-6.45 am: Fire breaks out due to suspected short circuit from ground floor of four-storey building
7 am: DFS receives call
7.04 : Delhi Police receives call
7.15 am : Seven fire engines and one bronto skylift (hydraulic crane) reaches spot
7.30 am : 23 more fire engines reach
8.30 am: Another bronto skylift (hydraulic crane) reaches spot
12 pm: Rescue operation continues
2.30 pm : Cooling operation
Recent fire incidents
March 15: A blaze at famous Dastkar Nature Bazaar in Mehrauli damaged around 40 shops
March 15 : Elderly woman charred to death in a rooftop bathroom fire in Badarpur
March 12: A major fire broke out in a cluster of jhuggis at Mansa Ram Park near the fish market in Matiala, in Southwest Delhi’s Uttam Nagar, gutting around 80 shanties
March 4 : Two persons charred to death after a fire broke out at a plastic toy godown in Central Delhi’s Sadar Bazaar on Holi. In a separate incident, a teenage girl died in a fire at a JJ cluster in Northwest Delhi’s Rohini.
February 9 : Head custodian of the dargah of Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia died after reportedly suffocating in a fire that broke out at his residence
January 1 : A 72-year-old woman died of suffocation after a fire broke out in her house in Jamia Nagar.
A massive fire broke out in a four-storey residential building in Southwest Delhi’s Palam area on Wednesday morning, claiming the lives of eight people, including children. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav) 
Express photo by Gajendra Yadav
Express photo by Gajendra Yadav
Express photo by Gajendra Yadav
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