‘Op Started An Hour After Fire Broke Out’ | Delhi News
New Delhi: “The smoke was so thick we couldn’t see our own hands, but we could hear the screams… We just had to go in,” said 70-year-old Mahesh Sharma, a local trader who was among the first to rush to the site of the deadly fire in Palam to try save those trapped inside.From toughened glass that refused to break to narrow alleyways that stalled emergency engines — the rescue operation was fraught with challenges. Family members of the victims and residents alleged delays caused by a non-functional hydraulic lift in the first fire tender that arrived contributed to the high death toll. The fire department denied the claims, saying firefighters arrived on time and the hydraulic lift was deployed in the operation. “The rescue operation started almost an hour and a half after the fire erupted,” said Deepak Sharma, a relative. “The golden hour was lost,” said Manisha Sharma, a resident.The family claimed the first fire tender blocked others from reaching the site, causing delays. A large crowd of onlookers, many of them busy making videos, proved to be another headache.A purported video of the incident shows the victims — Kamal, his wife Ashu, their three daughters Niharika, Ivani and Jessica, along with Pravesh — standing on the third-floor balcony as thick smoke from the floors below chokes the air around them. Burnt sections of the shop and residence are visible as the family looks at the rescue operation unfolding in the lane below. On the ground, several onlookers are gathered while rescue personnel can be seen navigating a street strewn with charred debris and twisted metal.For residents and witnesses, the scene was catastrophic, as the Kashyap family members jumped from the upper floors to save themselves. Yogesh Sharma, a resident, recalled one man jumping and another man throwing his two-year-old child to the ground before jumping himself and sustaining injuries. Another resident said the man had initially hidden the child inside his T-shirt and asked bystanders to catch him. “Several people were just filming the scene. It was pathetic,” she said.Many tried everything possible to save the victims. Mahesh Sharma (70), a resident, said they placed a ladder to rescue those trapped, but it fell short. Yogesh said he went to the adjacent building and helped firefighters in drilling.Relatives of the Kashyaps said when Anil threw two-year-old Mitali in a desperate attempt to save her, the fire officer attempting to catch her missed, likely due to the smoke. Both survived after the fall. Mitali suffered fractures in both the legs while Anil hit his head against the ladder of a fire tender. Another survivor, Sachin, sustained burn injuries after jumping from a balcony onto an adjacent house.NDRF deputy inspector Vicky Ranga said they arrived within 10 minutes of receiving information. “At the time, Delhi Fire Service and other agencies were trying to extinguish the fire… We removed two bodies from the spot. The structure was damaged. Nearby buildings were evacuated,” he said.Firefighters said the building had a single escape route, and narrow, crammed streets hampered rescue efforts. “A few fire tenders reached quickly, but the others arrived late,” said a firefighter.Once inside, the firefighters had little room to move as the building lacked proper ventilation and had a lone enclosed staircase, leaving no way for smoke to escape. Toughened glass windows made it difficult for those trapped to break their way out. Firefighters suspect family members tried breaking the windows but could not because of the reinforced glass. A senior police officer said while two of the bodies were charred, a few others suffocated, fell unconscious and eventually died.“The rescue operation was hampered due to the presence of highly inflammable materials like cosmetics and hosiery stocked in the basement, ground and first floors. The building was closed from three sides, with the front side fitted with toughened glass, which took considerable time to break. Meanwhile, dense smoke rapidly filled the building, making rescue efforts difficult and hazardous,” he said.The fire department said several teams were deployed, with one accessing the adjacent building’s terrace and drilling into the affected structure to reach those trapped. “One team initially entered through the main door, but heavy smoke forced them to retreat after a few minutes. A fresh team was then sent in,” said an official.Investigators found heavy solar panels and AC ducts installed on the terrace, hindering operations. “They tried to reach the terrace but were unable to escape,” a fire officer added.
