NEW DELHI: A day after a blaze tore through a residential building in Shahdara’s Vivek Vihar Extension area, killing nine people, the crime and forensic teams on Monday visited the site to collect evidence for the probe.
Speaking with TNIE, a senior police officer said, “The cause of the incident remains under investigation. The police are currently trying to determine if it was an air conditioner (AC) blast that triggered the blaze, or if there was there another reason behind it. Multiple teams are inspecting the site to get to the bottom of this.” If required, a 3-D mapping of the site may also be conducted.
“On Monday, crime and FSL (forensic science laboratory) teams collected evidence from the site. They inspected the second floor as well as the upper floors as part of the exercise. A layout map of the entire building has also been prepared.
Technical teams from the Delhi Fire Services and the electricity department will inspect the spot on Tuesday. They will assess the electrical load of the building and examine the quality of the wiring,” the officer further revealed.
Another officer stated that ACs installed near drains have over a 90% chance of gas leakage. When gas leaks, AC oil may also escape along with it, causing the compressor to overheat, which can lead to a blast. These aspects are currently being scrutinised.
Several locals, who are still coming to terms with the tragedy pointed out that the iron grills fitted in the rear portion of the building hindered the victims’ attempt to escape.
While nine charred bodies were retrieved from different floors of the building after the fire broke out on Sunday around 3.40 am, 15 people were safely evacuated. The injured were shifted to a nearby hospital, where one person was reported to have suffered around 30% burn injuries.
Complaints in 2026
Fire calls rose to 2,663 in April, marking a steep jump from 1,538 in March
Fire calls increased from 1,396 in January and 1,096 in February to 1,538 in March and 2,663 in April
Delhi saw 6,693 fire-related calls between January & April
Total emergency calls reached 12,008, with April alone accounting for 3,914
The April surge is linked to rising temperatures and more garbage and dry waste fires
