- Fire broke out on the second floor of a Delhi building around 4 am today
- Video showed the grim aftermath of the fire showing charred bodies, collapsed structures, and huge debris
- More than a dozen people were rescued and taken to hospital for treatment
The aftermath of the massive fire inside a four-storey building in Delhi's Vivek Vihar remained grim, with a video showing charred bodies, collapsed structures, and huge debris as officials engaged in rescue operations.
The fire broke out on the second floor of the building around 4 am today, killing at least nine people and injuring two others. As many as 14 fire engines were rushed to the spot to put out the fire and carry out rescue operations. But by then, the fire had spread to the third and fourth floors of the building. The fire officials rescued more than a dozen people and shifted them to a nearby hospital for treatment.
The blaze was put out after nearly two hours, around 6 am.
The video, accessed by NDTV, showed a staircase heavily littered with rubble, broken plaster, and charred debris. A heavy stream of water can be seen pouring down from the ceiling onto the stairs - likely from a broken pipe or a fire suppression system. As the clip moved through the building, charred furniture was visible, and light smoke could be seen in the air.
Officials were seen recovering the charred bodies and wrapping them in a white cloth.
According to the police, they have recovered all the bodies and handed them over to the Delhi Police crime team.
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but a resident claimed an AC blast may have triggered the blaze. "A blast in the AC triggered the fire... Around 12-15 were rescued. However, 4-5 people are still missing," he told news agency ANI.
Local MLA Sanjay Goyal also reached the spot to take stock of the situation.
