A devastating fire in a residential building in the Shahdara area of Delhi early Friday morning resulted in the tragic deaths of a 16-year-old boy and his mother, while four other family members sustained injuries, reported PTI.
The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) received an emergency call at 5:25 AM, prompting the deployment of six fire tenders to the scene. The blaze broke out on the third and fourth floors of the four-storey building in Bholanath Nagar and was brought under control within two hours, officials reported.
The charred bodies of 42-year-old Shilpi Gupta and her son, Pranav Gupta, were discovered during the firefighting operations. Four injured individuals—Kailash Gupta (72), Bhagwati Gupta (70), their son Manish Gupta (45), and Manish’s son Parth (19)—are currently receiving treatment at GTB Hospital, with Manish reported to be in critical condition.
Two minor siblings who were rescued from the fire have since been discharged after receiving medical attention.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam indicated that Shilpi and Pranav likely succumbed to asphyxia due to smoke inhalation. A forensic team has been summoned to investigate the scene further.
Manish Kumar, the father of the two rescued children, expressed his distress over the incident, claiming that the delayed arrival of fire services contributed to the fatalities. “The fire vehicles came late, resulting in the loss of two lives,” he stated. Neighbour Shobhit Gupta echoed this sentiment, noting that the fire brigades faced obstacles due to parked vehicles in the narrow lanes of Bholanath Nagar, causing a delay of nearly 90 minutes before their arrival.
Preliminary investigations suggest that a short circuit may have caused the fire, but authorities continue to probe the matter.
(With inputs from PTI)