Mother, son perish in Shahdara blaze, cause under investigation
New Delhi: A devastating house fire in Shahdara’s Bholanath Nagar, on Friday morning, claimed the lives of two family members, leaving four others injured.
The deceased were identified as Shilpi Gupta (42) wife of Manish Gupta, and Pranav Gupta (16) son of Manish Gupta, both residents of Gali number 11, Bholanath Nagar Delhi. According to the police reports, the fire broke out at house number 197 in Gali number 11, spreading to the third and fourth floors of the building.
The incident was reported to the Farsh Bazar police station at 5:50 am. A police team, along with six fire tenders, immediately rushed to the scene. According to reports from the DFS, the call regarding the fire was received around 5:24 am. The fire department quickly responded to the emergency, with firefighters managing to contain the blaze after several hours of intense efforts.
Upon reaching the scene, firefighters and the police found a severe fire raging on the third and fourth floors of the building. The house belongs to Manish Gupta (45) who owns an electric equipment shop at Bhagirath Palace. Gupta lived in the house with his family, which included his parents, wife, and two sons.
Four family members, Kailash Gupta (72) Bhagwati Gupta (70) Manish Gupta (45) and his son, Parth Gupta (19) were rescued and immediately rushed to GTB Hospital for medical treatment.
However, two members of the family were found deceased inside the flat after the fire was extinguished. Shilpi Gupta and Pranav Gupta, their younger son, tragically lost their lives in the incident.
The preliminary investigation suggests that Shilpi and Pranav died due to asphyxiation, a condition caused by the inhalation of toxic smoke during the fire.
According to officials, their bodies were recovered from inside the house after the fire was brought under control.
The exact cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and authorities have called in a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team to investigate the incident. Officials are working to uncover the source of the fire and the circumstances leading up to the tragedy.
Atul Garg, director of DFS, provided further details on the rescue efforts. “We received a call about a fire in a house in the Shahdara area early this morning. Six fire tenders were dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, we found that the fire had spread to the third and fourth floors of the building. We were able to rescue two children safely, but tragically, two bodies were recovered from inside the house.”
Many expressed their sorrow over the tragic loss of life and concerns about the safety of the area. The narrow lanes of Bholanath Nagar, typical of old residential colonies in Delhi, posed a challenge for the fire department, but they managed to contain the fire before it spread to neighboring buildings.
Legal action will be taken following the investigation into the fire. Local authorities, including the police and fire department, are coordinating with the FSL team to determine whether any negligence or foul play contributed to the fire.
