NEW DELHI: A day after a devastating fire at a three-story building in west Delhi’s Mundka killed at least 27 people, the authorities were back to blaming the familiar culprits — the building had no fire safety certificate, it had a single entrance and exit gates and it had no design clearance from civic authorities.
In terms of casualties, Friday’s fire at the commercial building was the largest since the blaze at a factory in the Anaj Mandi area in 2019 and the second-largest since the Uphaar Cinema tragedy in 1997. At least 32 people remain missing in the Mundka tragedy, fire officials said. According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police Sameer Sharma, most of the missing are women.
The firefighting operation concluded on Saturday morning. Sources said the building built on Lal Dora (village) land was supposed to be residential but was functioning as a commercial building. Fire extinguishers and fire safety alarms were absent in the building, which was being used as a space for offices, factory and godowns.
An FIR has been registered under IPC sections 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 308 (attempt to commit culpable homicide),120 (concealing design to commit offence punishable with imprisonment), and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention). The police have arrested two persons – Harish Goel and Varun Goel. Manish Lakra, identified as the owner of the building, is currently absconding, said the DCP.
Fire officials on Saturday told the media that the death toll is expected to rise. Of the 27 killed in the fire, bodies of seven were identified on Saturday, said the DCP. They are: Tania Bhushan, Mohini Pal, Yashoda Devi, Ranju Devi, Vishal, Drishti and Kailash Jyani, said the DCP. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who visited the site and described the fire as “massive”, said he has ordered a judicial probe into the incident. “Those found responsible in the probe will not be spared and stringent action will be taken,” he said.
MASSIVE FIRE AT AMRITSAR HOSPITAL, NO CASUALTY
Amritsar: A massive fire broke out at the government-run Guru Nanak Dev Hospital here on Saturday. However, no casualty was reported. Nearly ten fire tenders were pressed into service to put out the fire. A blast took place in the transformer near the hospital OPD that led to the fire, which engulfed the cardiology, X-ray and dermatology departments. The hospital is run under the supervision of the Government Medical College. Principal Rajiv Devgun told reporters that due to oil leakage, the transformer caught fire and thereafter a blast took place.
6 rescued from blaze in Gurugram apartment
Gurugram: Six people were rescued after a fire broke out in a high-rise residential building here, fire officials said on Saturday. Seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot, they said. The fire broke out on 10th and 11th floors of Residency Grand Apartment in Sector 52 here around midnight. Six people were trapped and it took over four hours to rescue them, the officials said. A call about the fire was received around midnight, said Senior Fire Officer Narendra Kumar. “Seven fire tenders were pressed into service and the fire was extinguished,” he said.