20-yr-old dies trying to douse fire, rescue child
New Delhi: One of the men killed in the midnight Kirti Nagar blaze had tried his best to rescue the man and child above the burning scrap shop but had been unsuccessful and fallen in the drain behind the shop, losing his life. The man, believed to be known as 20-year-old Rohit, was a driver.
Three people, including a minor child died in a fire at Kirti Nagar in West Delhi on Thursday. Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said at around 10.50 pm a fire call received that fire at the furniture block at Kirti Nagar in a scrap shop.
Describing the sequence of events, Garg said seven fire tenders were rushed to the site. At the spot, two persons including one child were trapped. They were removed to the hospital where doctors declared them brought dead.
"The fire was in a scrap godown (100 yards) and three-four huts built upon the roof of godown due to which building collapsed," the official said.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police said on Thursday at about 11 pm, an incident of fire was reported near a government liquor shop in the Kamla Nehru Camp at Kirti Nagar. Immediately, the local police and fire tenders reached the spot. "The fire reportedly started in a small scrap shop owned by one Tony Mehto (50). Soon it engulfed the small shanties made above the shop where a family of one Monu (worker at scrap shop) lived," police said.
Immediately, the fire was brought under control and most of the family members were rescued. Senior officials reached the spot and after the fire was doused completely, two unknown dead bodies, almost completely charred, had been recovered from the debris — one unknown body aged about 20 years and another body aged about 8-10 years. All the injured persons were shifted to hospital for medical assistance. The exact cause of the fire has not been established so far however possibilities of a short circuit cannot be ruled out.
Meanwhile, the police further said in the continuation of the rescue and search operations being carried out by local police in the fire incident at the Kirti Nagar police station, one more body had been recovered from a drain behind the spot.
"The body is believed to be of one Rohit. Prima facie it has come to notice that Rohit came to the spot when the fire started to douse it and meanwhile got trapped in the fire and fell in the drain. He is aged about 20 years and works as a driver," the official said.
A case under sections 285, 304 IPC for negligent conduct with respect to fire and culpable homicide not amounting to murder has been registered at Kirti Nagar police station. The scrap dealer Tony Mehto is absconding and searches are underway to nab him.
