Neighbours try breaking walls, windows to save family; allege rescue operation delay
NEW DELHI: Neighbours of the family that got trapped in a fire in Delhi’s Palam area said they made frantic attempts to get them out by attempting to break windows and a portion of the wall of the building, while others alleged that the malfunctioning hydraulic machine of firefighters delayed their rescue. The multi-storey building near Ram Chowk Market, close to the Palam Metro Station, has been gutted from the inside as nine members of the family that lived there, including three children, were killed in the blaze on Wednesday, with three others injured.
The building had a cloth and cosmetic showroom on the ground and first floors, while the family of the owner, Rajender Kashyap, lived on the second and third floors.
Locals said a flower-seller alerted the neighbours after spotting the fire around 6.30 am. Police said information about the blaze was received at around 7:04 am at Palam Village police station, following which teams rushed to the spot.
Kamal, a school cab driver, said around 40 people, including locals and fire personnel, attempted to break open the shutter of the showroom to rescue those trapped inside. The shutter now lays completely broken due to the fire, with electrical wiring visibly burnt.
Kamal alleged that the fire brigade faced technical issues on arrival.
“When the fire brigade arrived, it was unable to operate its equipment due to a malfunction in the pressure system. Had the equipment worked on time, some people would have been saved,” he said. People made repeated attempts to reach those trapped before additional fire tenders could arrive. The fire office said 30 fire tenders in total were deployed for the operation.
Neighbour Raghunandan Sharma said residents tried breaking walls and windows to rescue those trapped, but dense smoke made entry impossible. He alleged delays and malfunctioning fire equipment worsened the tragedy. Locals said flammable goods and poor ventilation fuelled the blaze; the joint family included elderly members, children, a wheelchair-bound woman.
