Delhi: Two killed as massive fire breaks out in scrap warehouse

New Delhi: Two people died and three others sustained serious burns in a massive fire that broke out at a scrap yard in Delhi's Pitampura area on Tuesday. The fire started in a vacant plot where scrap materials were being stored in tin sheds. According to the police, all the victims were living on the premises and worked as scrap collectors.

How have the authorities responded?

Delhi Police informed the media that they received a PCR call about the fire. A police team reached the spot immediately and informed the fire brigade. Six fire tenders were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the fire. The fire quickly intensified because the plot contained a large quantity of scrap material that was highly flammable and burned rapidly, including cardboard and cartons.

What is the current situation?

After considerable effort, firefighters managed to bring the fire under control. Five people were rescued from the site with burn injuries. All of them were taken to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial (BJRM) Hospital in Jahangirpuri for treatment. Upon arrival at the hospital, doctors declared Biresh and Satish dead, while the other three injured are undergoing treatment.

What did the police say?

A police officer said that initial investigations revealed that all five individuals were residents of Nalanda district in Bihar. 

“They were living in the tin sheds built on the vacant plot in Pitampura village and worked by collecting and selling scrap from nearby markets,” he told the media. 

One of the injured, Dinesh, told the police that after the fire broke out, he tried to rescue Biresh and Satish, but the flames and thick smoke were so intense that he had to retreat. According to the police, there were a total of four tin sheds on the plot, two of which were completely destroyed by the fire, while the other two were partially damaged.

Upon receiving information about the incident, a crime team and a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team inspected the site and collected samples for investigation. The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined. The police are investigating the matter and are also looking into whether safety standards were followed.