Nine Killed, Including Infant, in Devastating Delhi Residential Fire

At least nine people, including a one-year-old child, were killed and two others injured after a massive fire swept through a four-storey residential building in the Vivek Vihar area of East Delhi early Sunday.

According to reports, the blaze broke out around 4:00am on the second floor of the building before rapidly spreading to the upper levels, engulfing the third and fourth floors. Firefighters rushed to the scene with 14 fire tenders and battled the flames for nearly two hours before bringing the situation under control.

Emergency teams managed to rescue more than a dozen residents during the operation, while the injured were transported to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital for treatment.

Authorities confirmed the identities of all nine victims, with multiple members of the same family among the deceased. The second floor suffered the most severe damage, where five members of one household lost their lives. Additional fatalities were reported on the first and third floors, highlighting the scale of the tragedy.

Officials said rescue efforts were complicated by limited access to the building and the early morning timing of the fire, when most residents were asleep. Protective front grills also slowed entry for firefighters attempting to reach those trapped inside.

In a particularly tragic development, three individuals attempting to escape via the roof were unable to exit after finding doors locked. They were later discovered dead on a staircase.

Several agencies, including the Delhi Fire Service, police, and disaster response teams, participated in the rescue and search operations, which continued even after the fire was extinguished to ensure no one remained trapped.

Preliminary findings have not confirmed the exact cause of the fire, though initial accounts from residents suggest a possible electrical short circuit or an air-conditioner explosion may have triggered the blaze.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the incident as extremely tragic and expressed condolences to the families of the victims, assuring support and assistance to those affected.

An investigation is ongoing to determine the exact cause of the fire.