emergencies
At least 27 dead in house fire in India
Firefighters try to extinguish the fire. Photo: Dinesh Joshi/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The fire broke out on the first floor – and then spread to a conflagration. For at least 27 people, any help came too late.
A major fire in a building in the Indian capital, New Delhi, has killed at least 27 people. Another 12 were injured in the fire at the four-storey house in Mundka district on Friday, Delhi Fire Chief Atul Garg told reporters.
At least 50 people were rescued from the building, some jumped out of the window, eyewitnesses reported, according to the media. The fire broke out on the first floor of the house where a company for the production of security cameras with easily combustible material was located.
The flames spread to other floors and formed a huge conflagration, Garg said. The exact cause of the fire was initially unknown. The building did not have a fire department safety permit, nor was it equipped with firefighting equipment, Garg said.
Two arrests
The two company owners – two brothers – were arrested on suspicion of disobeying fire regulations. This was announced by the Prime Minister of New Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, during a site visit. The owner of the building is said to have gone into hiding. Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the families of the victims. Authorities announced compensation.
Accidents and fires are relatively common in India. Poor fire protection systems, lack of emergency exits and outdated electrical systems are often the causes. In 2019, a fire at a factory in Delhi killed 43 people.