New Delhi: Family members of the victims of the Pitampura fire incident that killed six people alleged that the automatic door locks installed at the residence got locked during the blaze, preventing the victims from escaping from the site.
A fire broke out in a multi-storey residential building in northwest Delhi’s Pitampura at 8 pm on Thursday evening. The blaze is suspected to have been caused due to a room heater, though the exact cause is yet to be ascertained.
“There are a total of four floors and all the floors have automatic door locks installed. These locks malfunctioned after the wirings of the lock caught fire due to the incident. Everyone got trapped inside and suffocated to death,” alleged Sunil Aggarwal, brother-in-law of the victim Rakesh Gupta.
Aggarwal said that they got a call about the death of his family members around 6 am, after which he and Rakesh’s brother Rajesh Gupta reached Ambedkar Hospital.
Aggarwal said that Rakesh’s son Sahil was just outside their residence when he noticed smoke in his house. He rushed towards it but could not get inside since it was locked from the inside.
Due to dense smoke at the spot, Sahil had to be rescued from the spot. He was sent to a hospital but was discharged after being given first aid.
Six people, from three families, including four women, died in the incident. One of the victims was employed as a cook in one of the houses.
Rakesh Gupta (62), his wife Renu Gupta (62) and daughter Shweta (30), Shanu Verma (27), Kirti (25), and Santosh (25) have been identified as the victims.
Santosh was employed as a cook for Shanu and Kirti who are sisters. He had reached the house at around 6 pm and was preparing food when the incident took place.