Man, 2 children die trying to escape blaze in Delhi

Smoke and flames billow out from the flat in a Dwarka housing society.
| Photo Credit: ANI

A man and his two children died after jumping from the ninth-floor balcony of their flat to escape the fire that broke out in their apartment on Tuesday morning.

Yash Yadav, 41, his daughter Ashima, 12, and son Shivam Yadav, 11, were killed after the blaze engulfed their duplex apartment, located on the ninth and 10th floors of Shabad CGHS in Dwarka Sector 19.

There were 12 people in the house around 9:30 a.m. when the fire started, said a senior officer.

‘Got trapped’

“All members of the family tried to escape by climbing to the upper floor. However, Ashima and Shivam got trapped, and Yadav returned to save them,” the officer added.

While the children were rushed to Akash Hospital, where they were declared dead, Yadav, a businessman, was rushed to IGI Hospital, which declared him dead on arrival.

“Both [the children] had multiple burn injuries. There was no sign of cardiac and respiratory activity,” read a statement by Aakash Hospital.

Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Services, said, “A distress call was received at 9:58 a.m., after which eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot.”

“All residents were immediately evacuated and electricity and piped gas connections were turned off,” he added.

Wazir Singh, Yadav’s brother, who had arrived a day before and was on the tenth floor when the flames engulfed the lower floor, said they did not have any time to act.

“I was sleeping at the time, but was awakened by the screams of our relatives. I could see nothing due to the dense smoke,” said Singh.

‘Busy making videos’

Several purported videos of the three jumping one after the other, captured by the area residents on their phones, were shared widely on social media.

A driver in the society, who was present at the time of the incident, said the three lives could have been saved had the residents responded to the tragedy proactively.

“I was waiting at the main gate of the society at 9:30 a.m. when a piece of glass fell. I looked up and saw flames and the three struggling on their balcony. I shouted for the residents to bring down mattresses from their flats so that the three could jump down safely. But nobody listened. Some were busy making videos,” he said, requesting anonymity.