“Malfunctioning” hydraulic crane delaying firefighting operations, only one way to enter and exit the four-storey building, a large amount of combustible material, lack of ventilation and narrow lanes – these are a few reasons that could have led to the death of 9 members of a family in a massive blaze near Palam Metro station on Wednesday morning. Only three members of the family survived, all of whom had allegedly jumped off the building to save their lives.
Rajender Kashyap, who lost nine members of his family, used to run Pravesh Moderate Fashion Shop on the ground floor and in the basement of the building. A popular store, neighbours said around 40 workers worked there.
On Wednesday, the blaze started when most of the family members were asleep. Rajender, a worker of AAP, was in Goa. The deceased included his wife, two sons, daughter, two daughters-in-law and three grandchildren – aged 15, six and three.
Rajender’s nephew Deepak Sharma told The Indian Express three of the family members jumped from the building to save their lives.They were Rajender’s sons Sachin (29) and Anil (32) as well as his two-year-old granddaughter. Sachin is undergoing treatment with around 25% burns.
The building is located at the centre of Ram Chowk Market, with a three-storey jewellery store on one side and a two-storey house with a curtain shop on the ground floor on the other side.
Rajender’s family had decorated the front portion of the building – surrounded by low hanging cable wires – with glass and combustible material like wood and plastic. While the family lived on the second and third floors, the first floor was also used as part of the shop and as a godown.
According to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), it received a call about the fire around 7 am and immediately dispatched 30 fire tenders to the spot, along with two hydraulic cranes.
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However, Deepak said that initially, only one hydraulic crane had arrived at the spot, which malfunctioned. “By the time another one was brought from Connaught Place, the rescue operation had already been delayed,” he added.
Also, Deepak said that due to the narrow lanes in the area, all fire vehicles could not reach the building at one go. “Some lives could have been saved if the rescue operation was not delayed,” he added.
Dharampal Kashyap (50), younger brother of Rajender, also blamed the “malfunctioning” hydraulic crane for delay in the rescue operation. “The crane’s lift got stuck. That’s why my family members couldn’t be saved.”
“My son called me to say that Rajender’s house was on fire. I rushed from my place in Palam village… My brother is in Goa. What am I going to tell him,” he said.
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When asked, a Fire official said, “If any hydraulic crane malfunctioned, we will look into it… People who were trapped were taken out of the building with the help of hydraulic cranes only.” Eyewitnesses said the hydraulic crane that had malfunctioned initially was fixed and eventually took part in the rescue operation.
AAP Delhi chief Saurabh Bhardwaj, who visited the spot, alleged that the DFS arrived an hour late and lacked basic equipment to save those trapped.
“I personally visited the spot. People present there told me that the fire broke out between 6.15 am and 6.30 am. A family living on the third floor started screaming for help. Since the fire began on the ground floor and thick smoke filled the staircase, they could not come down. It is said that the fire brigade reached around 7.30 am,” he told mediapersons.
“The family, including children, were on the balcony crying for help. The fire brigade had reached but its ladders could not reach them. This, despite the rule that DFS ladders must extend up to 17.5 m in height,” he added.
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According to rescue team members, it is suspected that the fire broke out on the ground floor, and the people sleeping on the second and third floors could not come down due to the smoke on the stairwell. “The house was also not properly ventilated… The rescue team had to make holes in the walls from the rooftop of the neighbouring building so that the smoke could escape,” an official said.
The official added that the building was so full of smoke that family members could not even move upstairs and instead came onto the balconies of the second and third floors, screaming for help. “Some stock from the shop was also lying in the stairway passage.”
The Delhi Police has registered a case under sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 125(a) (act endangering life or personal safety of others), and 106(1) (causing death by negligence) of the BNS against unknown persons.
