NEW DELHI: Two people, including a 17-year-old boy, were killed after a fire broke out in a residential building in West Delhi’s Raghubir Nagar early Monday following an explosion in the battery of an e-rickshaw parked outside, fire officials said.
Sufaid, 17, son of building owner Mohammad Nasib, and his brother-in-law Mohammad Samid, 38, suffered injuries and were rushed to Guru Gobind Singh Hospital, where doctors declared them dead.
Fire tenders reached the spot following a call about the fire at around 4.42 am from the building, which has a ground and four upper floors. The blaze gutted domestic articles on the first floor. An assessment found that the fire started after the battery of an e-rickshaw parked outside the building exploded. The fire was brought under control by around 5.25 am.
The incident has again highlighted safety concerns surrounding e-rickshaw batteries and charging infrastructure in densely populated parts of the capital. Delhi has reported several fatal incidents linked to e-rickshaw charging. The latest incident comes months after the government introduced mandatory 10-day training for applicants seeking licences to drive e-rickshaws and e-carts.