NEW DELHI: When the fire department personnel arrived at the scene of tragedy at Chhawla area in Dwarka, the four victims were still alive, desperatety trying to escape the inferno even at the cusp of death. According to the personnel deployed at the scene, two among the deceased had even tried to save themselves by placing wet cloth on their faces, to avoid inhaling the toxic smoke. Their corpses were found with cloth wrapped around their faces.
Meanwhile, data released by the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) came as a grave revelation– number of deaths in fire-related accidents in the national capital has spiked by over 100% when compared to the figures from the same period in 2023. According to the data, 83 people were killed in fires till June 25, 2024. 39 people had died during the period last year.
RESCUE DELAY PROVES FATAL
According to DFS officials, when they arrived at the site, the main gate was locked, which they had to break open. This took up valuable minutes, thus delaying the rescue operation. “On reaching the spot, the police found that the main iron gate was locked from inside,” a senior police officer said. “With the help of firefighters, the gate was broken down and the injured were rescued,” he added.
Locals said, among the four killed in the blaze was 22-year-old Robin, who was differently-abled. This is probably the reason why the family had locked the main gate at night so their son would not leave the house.
The main entrance to the house, locked from the inside, besides obstructing fire-fighters from accessing the house, was made of iron and was engulfed in flames; thus also locking the family inside; preventing them from escaping.
When the family of four, Heera Singh Kakkar (48), his wife Neetu (40) and their sons Robin (22) and Lakshay (21), were rushed to a nearby hospital, the battle against time was already lost; the victims were declared dead on arrival.
It is believed that the cause of their death was due to inhalation of toxic fumes emerging from the inverter batteries which triggered the fire and burning foam of a sofa which was placed near the source of the flames. Moreover, the toxic smoke completely engulfed the house, which had no ventilation through which the smoke could escape, thus leading to the tragic deaths due to asphyxiation (chocking).
A blaze erupted on the first floor of a two-storey house in Dwarka’s Chawla area in the wee hours of Tuesday, a DFS official said, adding, the fire department was informed around 3.30 am, scene which two fire tenders were sent to the scene.
As per the preliminary probe into the incident by the police, the fire broke out due to a short circuit in the inverter placed at the main entrance and reportedly set a sofa on fire.
West Delhi MP Kamaljeet Sehrawat visited the family of thw deceased and expressed her condolences over the tragedy.
FIRE DEATHS DOUBLED
Fire incidents have so far claimed 83 lives this year till June 25, data shared by the fire services say. The four killed in the Chawla fire on Tuesday became the lastest addition to this tragic toll. Compared to last year’s figures, deaths in fire-related incidents have doubled in 2024, a serious cause of concern for the national capital.
Besides, there has also been a steep rise in the number of SOS calls received by the fire department. DFS got a 12,651 calls related to fire incidents, significant jump from the 7,774 calls recieved in corresponding periods in 2023.
Experts believe that the spike in fire calls is due to the excessive heat in the city which leads to an increased load on electrical wires and devices during summer making them more suseptible to short circuits, thereby causing fire incidents.
Due to this sudden jump in calls, the department has been stretched to its limits.