Early morning inferno kills at least 9 in Delhi's Vivek Vihar

A devastating fire broke out in a four-story building in Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday morning, claiming the lives of nine residents and leaving twelve others seriously injured. Local residents alerted the fire department at approximately 3:47 AM, prompting a massive rescue operation involving 14 fire tenders and Delhi Police teams. Preliminary investigations suggest the blaze was sparked by a short circuit in an air conditioner on the second floor, followed by an explosion that caused the fire to spread rapidly throughout the structure.

The building, which housed eight flats across four floors, became a death trap as residents found their exit routes blocked. While the elevator failed due to a power cut, the single central staircase was quickly engulfed in smoke and flames. Many residents were unable to escape through windows because of heavy iron grills, which firemen eventually had to cut through to reach those trapped inside. Most tragically, the door leading to the roof was found locked, preventing residents from escaping upward to safety.

Rescue teams recovered nine bodies from various locations: one from the first floor, five from the second, and three near the third-floor staircase where the locked roof door was located. The victims included members of the Jain family, including financier Arvind Jain, his wife Anita, and their children, as well as residents from other floors, including a company secretary and a child. The deceased consisted of six men, two women, and one child, all of whom succumbed to the intense heat and smoke.