A fire swept through a four-story building which had been converted from a residential building into a makeshift storage space for clothing in New Delhi, leaving nine dead and two others with serious burns. The cause of the inferno was reportedly a gas cylinder which exploded; this marks the second deadly industrial fire to strike India's capital in less than a month.
The fire started on the ground floor and spread to the third floor. Seven firefighting vehicles were summoned to bring the blaze under control after more than four hours, Delhi Fire Service officials reported.
The incident happened in a garment storage space in Kirari in the northwest part of the Indian capital.
Delhi: Three people have died and 10 have been injured after a fire broke out in a cloth godown in Kirari at around 12:30 am, today. The fire has been doused and the injured have been admitted to hospital. pic.twitter.com/VDDQW0STAk
— ANI (@ANI) December 22, 2019
The illegal storage space lacked proper fire-fighting equipment, according to officials. Netizens took to social media to express their anguish over the incident.
Again today morning one more fire incident in KIRARI area of Delhi is reported where in 2 people are died.What is this? What our people have learned in this regards from the recent fire incidents in Delhi.
— Dr.Rajveer Choudhary (@1953_rvc) December 23, 2019
Nine people killed in a fire incident in outer Delhi's Kirari area, After Major fire incidence in Delhi, Delhi govt and MCD have not learnt anything @AamAadmiParty @BJP4India
— dharmendra Singh (@dharmendra135) December 23, 2019
The nine victims are said to be from the same family and so far eight of them have been identified after being taken to the closest hospital in the area, Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, and other nearby hospitals in the city.
Earlier in December, a fire broke out at a factory in New Delhi's Anaj Mandi district, killing over 40 people. The blaze reportedly started in an "illegal plastic factory running inside a house" and spread quickly.
