Narrow staircases, locked terrace restrict firemen

DFS says it took 20 minutes to cut window grills; building packed with combustible material, claims official

Narrow staircases, windows with grills and a locked terrace turned the building, which housed a manufacturing unit, into a “death chamber” where 43 people were killed and 16 others injured at Anaj Mandi on early Sunday.

The victims on the first two floors of the building managed to escape while those on the third and fourth floors were trapped as the fire broke out on the second floor blocking their only exit route.

A Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official said the team reached the location within five minutes but was unable to enter the building because of the intensity of the fire.

“We tried to enter the building from the terrace but it was locked. Then we tried to get inside through a window but it had grills on it. We cut the grills with a gas cutter and managed to get inside. This process took us around 20 minutes,” said the firefighter.

He added that the people trapped in the building were screaming for help but the team was helpless as the officials, who were trying to get inside the building from the main entrance, were struggling because of congested lanes. The lane was so narrow that only one fire engine could enter it.

The building had a second staircase, which was stuffed with raw material used in the manufacturing unit. “The workers who managed to come out of the building informed the locals and called the family members of their colleagues who were trapped inside. A local informed the fire department about the incident,” said Mohammad Rizwan, a resident.

The building, owned by a man named Rehan, rented a portion to a jacket manufacturer, said an official. Rehan manufactures school bags and plastic-hand mirrors in the unit. There were around 75 workers in the building when the fire broke out on the second floor allegedly due to a short circuit, said an officer. “Four workers on the third floor got trapped and later their bodies were recovered. Most of the casualties were on the fourth floor where the workers used to sleep. Marks of their struggle can be seen on the walls,” the officer added.

Many die of asphyxiation

The workers on the fourth floor died due to asphyxiation as the ventilation window was closed. The workers might have closed it to stay warm in the winter. The building was packed with combustible materials like cardboard, rexine, plastic and other packaging stuff that aggravated the fire and resulted in dense smoke, said a fireman.

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