A fire incident in a building located in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar has left 61 students injured, with two in critical condition. The building, consisting of a ground floor and three additional floors, housed coaching institutes and commercial offices. According to officials, the fire was believed to have originated from a short circuit in an electricity meter on the ground floor. The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) was alerted and promptly dispatched 11 fire tenders and 60 firefighters to the scene. As the fire spread, students faced a harrowing ordeal, with some attempting to break open windows to escape the thick smoke while others resorted to using ropes to descend three floors. Many suffered injuries during these desperate evacuation attempts.
Several students were taken to hospitals for treatment, with two students sustaining head injuries and fractures classified as critical. The rest of the injured students received minor injuries and have since been discharged. The DFS chief highlighted that the building lacked firefighting equipment and appeared to have disregarded various safety regulations. The Delhi Police have registered an FIR against unidentified individuals under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertaining to negligence, endangering human life, causing grievous hurt, criminal conspiracy, and common intention.
Authorities have announced that an inquiry will be conducted to investigate the coaching institutes operating in the building. The incident has raised concerns about the adherence to safety measures and the overall infrastructure of educational institutions and commercial spaces. The focus will be on ensuring that such incidents are not repeated and that appropriate safety protocols are implemented to safeguard the lives of students and occupants of similar buildings.
