New Delhi: Six family members, including four children, have died in a fire incident at the Bijwasan area of south-west Delhi. As per the officials, a transformer caught fire, which spread further to two shanties nearby, leading to a gas cylinder explosion.
According to Delhi Fire Department (DFS), they received a call regarding a fire in a transformer at Valmiki Colony around 12.30 am, following which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Later, police received a PCR call regarding a cylinder explosion in Valmiki Colony.
"The LPG cylinder blast took place in one of the huts and in another hut, six charred bodies were found. They were taken out and sent to hospital," said Atul Garg, Director DFS.
According to the officials, the transformer caught fire and flames spread rapidly to two shanties nearby, which led to an explosion of a LPG cylinder.
A senior police officer said Kamlesh (37), his wife Budhani (32), their two daughters, 16 and 12, and two sons, 6 years and 3 months, died in the cylinder blast. The fire officials along with police personnel took out the bodies and sent them to Safdarjung Hospital, he said.
One fire official said the incident took place at night when they were sleeping and they did not get time to escape as the fire spread all over the hut in a few seconds. The combustible materials further helped the fire to spread all over the hut.
After the fire was stopped, bodies were taken out and they were completely charred. All deceased were natives of Bihar. All household items were completely burnt due to the blaze.
Police said they have registered a case under relevant sections of the law.
As per data shared by DFS, 117 medium and six fire were reported in the last five years (till 2020). Last year 25,709 calls in from 64 fire stations.
The fire department also said the materials used for the constructions of the JJ cluster are highly combustible and produce toxic gasses when involved in fire.
"Wind speed also plays havoc in such a situation," an official said. Besides poor housing, these areas are also providing space for storage of huge quantities of waste rags, chemicals, plastic, PVC, etc. and an unsystematic layout leads to the entire area gutted in fire in a very short period.