NEW DELHI: A 64-year-old man was killed early Saturday after a fire broke out at the ground floor of a building following an LPG cylinder blast in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar. Police said the deceased had allegedly shared a suicide note on WhatsApp and uploaded a video before the incident.
According to the fire department, a call about the blaze was received at 3.27 am, following which four fire engines were rushed to Sahapura in Tilak Nagar. The fire was brought under control around 4.30 am.
A senior police officer said a male body was found in a severely burnt condition inside the premises after the fire was doused. The deceased was identified as Vijay, who had been living alone in the rented accommodation for the last five years.
He was a divorcee and used to create and upload vlogs on YouTube, the officer said. During the preliminary inquiry, police found that Vijay had allegedly shared a suicide note on WhatsApp and uploaded a video on YouTube in which he stated that it was his last video.
The fire department’s preliminary assessment suggested that the blaze may have followed a cylinder blast. A crime team and FSL team were called to inspect the spot. The body has been preserved at DDU Hospital for post-mortem examination. Further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause, police said.
A resident said residents were asleep when they heard a loud blast. “Our family members woke us up and told us to get up quickly, thinking that an earthquake had occurred. But when we looked outside, we realised that a fire had broken out in the house next to ours,” he said.
Ankit, who lived on the upper floor, said he woke up after hearing an explosion. Residents initially suspected an electrical fault or AC blast but later saw flames. “While we were waiting for the firefighters, there was another blast. Everyone panicked and ran away from the spot,” he said.