Three killed in Dwarka building fire | ‘Family begged us to save their kids’: Passersby, neighbour who rushed to help

A 25-year-old rescuer, who did not want to be named, said he was outside Shabad Apartment’s gates, buying vegetables, when he heard a loud crash of glass falling and saw flames coming out of the 9th and 10th floors of the building. “We shouted at the guards to call the fire services and ran in… people inside the complex were too busy making videos to help,” he claimed.

The man, accompanied by two painters working inside the complex, managed to reach the 8th floor of the building before the smoke got too thick to continue. “Two women were on the landing… the moment they saw us, they fell at our feet, begging us to rescue their children,” said the 25-year-old.

Wasim (35), one of the painters, said: “I took my hammer and scraper with me… we broke open the door of one of the houses using the hammers and rushed to the balcony.”

The rescuers said the women were inconsolable. “We had to stop them from going back in… they were desperate to save their children. They kept asking us if anyone had been left behind,” added Wasim.

Vishal Kumar Singh (27), a driver, was passing by the society when he saw the fire. He, too, ran up the building’s stairs, hoping to rescue the people stuck inside. Singh rushed into the house on the 8th floor along with a taxi driver. “The other driver and I managed to convince three of the boys to dangle their legs from the ninth-floor balcony, into the eighth-floor balcony. We asked them to jump down carefully and caught them just in time,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rajeev Kanwar (48), a resident from the neighbouring tower, heard cries for help and rushed into the burning building. Kanwar managed to make his way through the thick black smoke and reach the 9th floor, where he broke down the door of the flat next to the victims’. “Thankfully, that house wasn’t occupied, and I opened all the doors and windows to let out all the smoke. I hoped that I could ask the family members to climb over the balconies between the two houses, but the gap was too large,” said Kanwar.

As the Yadav family was rescued one by one, rescuers attempted to douse the flames using the fire extinguishers installed inside the building. “The extinguishers worked for a few seconds before they began sputtering and then stopped…,” said Singh.

“We were shouting at the residents on the floors below to bring their extinguishers and help us get water — but not a single person came to our help,” alleged Kanwar.

Panihar, who was witnessing the melee outside the apartment complex, said a large crowd had gathered while the rescues were taking place.

“I saw the family members screaming for help but no one was doing anything about it… After some time, the guards began closing the gates and telling people to leave… people outside were shouting to let them in so they could help…”