NEW DELHI: Yet another massive fire broke out, leaving the city in tears and terror. The city witnessed a massive blaze in a three-story commercial building in Mundka, northwest Delhi on Friday killing close to 30 people. The last such incident took place in a factory in Anaj Mandi in North Delhi in 2019, where 43 people were killed.
The reason for the fire was yet again the fatal construction error. The building had only one staircase and did not have a fire clearance, or no objection certificate (NOC). The Chief of Delhi Fire Services Atul Garg on Saturday called the entire building “illegal”.
The Morning Standard spoke to the survivors who shared that the second floor was locked such that the meeting could go on undisturbed. The meeting was called to discuss issues pertaining to the employees and the factory. Survivors said that there were more than 95% of employees present during the time of the incident.
One of the survivors and an employee of the factory, Pushpa Panwar said, “The meeting had just started when the electricity went off. We tried to escape but the main gate was locked and we all got stuck.
“It was later when we got the news that the building has caught fire. Windows were broken and I managed to come down with the help of one of the cranes while others had to jump using the ropes. Around 15-20 women were left behind in the building,” the survivor added.
Another survivor, 40-year-old Jyoti Kumari, shared how she managed to jump from the second floor of the building using a rope, thrown by one of the residents through the window. Kumari said that the building, unfortunately, had no fire extinguisher at the time and when they were attending the meeting, the fire engulfed half of the building.
“We kept screaming for help and managed to break the windows with whatever material caught our eye,” she said. While one of the survivor’s daughters shared that her mother was not allowed to use her phone while working and they were given their phones during the lunch break only. “If she had her phone with her, she could have called at home or someone for help. However, she managed to jump using a rope,” she said.
Major fire incidents over the past years in Delhi
The national capital has witnessed several such incidents which left the city mourning in pain and grief
Jan 2018
A fire broke out in a factory at Bawana Industrial Area Industry was manufacturing firecrackers without a license 17 workers died.
Feb 2019
A fire broke out from a short-circuit in the AC in one of the rooms at Hotel Arpit Palace in Karol Bagh
17 people died. The hotel did not have a fire NOC.
Dec 2019
A fire broke out in a five-story residential building at Old Delhi’s Anaj Mandi 43 labourers were trapped and died Some illegal units were running under its premises
June 2021
A massive fire at a shoe factory in west Delhi’s Udyog Nagar 6 workers died
March 2022
A fire broke out in a factory in northeast Delhi’s Gokalpuri 7 people died including three minors and a pregnant woman
BODIES BEYOND RECOGNITION
‘Cops are not responding to our queries’
Yashodha Devi, 40-year-old was one of the victims of the fire incident which took place on Friday. She used to paint cameras and other plastic parts in the building for the past four years. Devi’s sister-in-law Poonam said, “We tried to contact her but her phone is switched off. We even tried to speak to the police but no official was ready to entertain us.” Devi is survived by her husband, two daughters aged 15 and 20 and a younger son. She was a resident of Bhagya Vihar and worked in the building to support her family and get her children educated. She used to earn around `7-8,000 per month.
Mother in grief, can’t handle the loss
Sonam, a 20-year-old died in the incident. She used to do the packing work in the factory. She started working after finishing her 12th to support her family. Sonam lost her father in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic. She is survived by her mother and three younger siblings. Sonam’s mother Sunita continuously screamed her daughter’s name and said, “I lost my precious daughter. I lost my husband two years ago in Covid-19 and now my daughter.” She added, “It is the fault of the company which did not have enough security and adequate entry and exit points.
Parents hope for daughters return
Musarrat, 37-year-old was a resident of Prem Nagar and lived with her husband and three kids including a two and half-year-old son and two daughters. Mussarat was working as a helper at the manufacturing unit for the past one year.
Mussarat’s parents- Anwar and Nafeesa reached Delhi on Saturday afternoon from Bihar, after listening to the harrowing news about their daughter. Nafeesa said, “My son-in-law is struggling to get the body identified and we are praying to Allah that she comes back from somewhere. I hope that she managed to escape the fire and ran away somewhere safe.”
‘Her selfies will be my last memory’
Madhu Devi, 28-year-old was working in the building for the last two years as a helper where the CCTV parts were manufactured. Madhu is survived by her husband Amit Kumar Singh who works as a driver and two daughters. Madhu’s husband said that he spoke to Madhu the same afternoon when the incident took place. “She sent her selfies with her colleagues to me. That will be my last memory of her,” he said. Madhu managed to save her sister who also worked with her in the building by pushing her on the crane but she herself could not jump into it and climb back into the building through the broken window.
‘Our girl was the only breadwinner’
The second eldest among the six daughters, Nisha, 18-year-old started working in the factory when she was just 16 and had finished her 9th. She was in search for a job badly, said her mother Meera Devi. Her father was not keeping well, so she decided to quit school and start working. Devi, sharing her daughter’s picture said, “She was always stressed about her father’s illness and wanted to help him in his treatment. Her father is mentally sick and cannot move from the bed easily. She used to hand over all the money she earned to me. She was the only breadwinner of our house at this time,” she said.