NEW DELHI: Three members of a family were burnt to death after a fire broke out at Delhi Metro Rail Corporation staff quarters near Majlis Park metro station in northwest Delhi’s Adarsh Nagar in the early hours of Tuesday, officials said.
The deceased were identified as Ajay Vimal (42), his wife Neelam (38), and their 10-year-old daughter Jahanvi, police said.
The fire was reported at around 2:39 am at the DMRC staff quarters in F-Block, located opposite Majlis Park metro station in the Mukundpur area. Teams from the Delhi Police and Delhi Fire Services were immediately rushed to the spot after receiving the emergency call.
Ajay was working as an Assistant Section Engineer (Signalling and Telecom) with the DMRC and had been residing in the staff quarters since 2016, officials said.
Preliminary findings suggest that the fire may have been triggered by an electrical short circuit involving a room heater inside the family’s one-bedroom flat.
A senior police officer said initial assessments indicate that the victims may have lost consciousness due to smoke inhalation before the fire spread rapidly.
“It appears that the main electricity supply tripped during the short circuit, but the heater may have continued to burn, causing the flames to intensify in a short span of time,” the officer said.
“Six fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and the fire was brought under control by around 3:20 am. After dousing the flames, firefighters recovered 3 charred bodies from the affected flat,” a fire official said.
During the firefighting operation, a fireman identified as Rakesh sustained cut injuries to his hand and was taken to Jagjeevan Hospital. He was later discharged after receiving first aid.At the time of the incident, all three family members were present inside the master bedroom, police said.
“All three occupants were burnt to death,” a police officer said, adding that the bodies were shifted to a hospital for post-mortem examination.
Residents of the colony said they heard a loud noise and noticed smoke billowing out of the flat’s door and windows around 2:30 am. Neighbours repeatedly knocked on the door and attempted to break it open but received no response.
Someone then dialled the emergency helpline. Before fire tenders arrived, residents used the society’s emergency firefighting equipment in an attempt to control the blaze, they said.
CCTV footage from the complex and nearby areas will be examined to reconstruct the sequence of events. Police will also inspect the building’s common electrical systems and safety equipment for any lapses.
Reacting to the incident, Anuj Dayal, Principal Executive Director (Corporate Communications), DMRC, said the organisation had lost one of its colleagues and his family in the tragic incident.
“In an incident of apparent fire reported from one of the flats in Delhi Metro’s residential colony at Mukundpur, the DMRC has lost one of its colleagues Ajay, his wife, and their 10-year-old daughter in the early hours of Tuesday,” he said.
DMRC said it is providing all necessary cooperation to the police authorities and extended its deepest condolences to the bereaved family, calling the incident a heartbreaking loss for the entire DMRC family.