Delhi apartment fire: Youth recalls narrow escape of his sisters and pet dog

For 20-year-old Pawan Kumar, Saturday afternoon was filled with fear and disbelief as he rushed home to the Brahmaputra Apartments near Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, a housing complex for Members of Parliament, after hearing about a massive fire.

Kumar, who lives on the third floor with his family, reported to PTI, ''My room on the third floor was untouched, but the floors below were engulfed in flames and smoke. I was worried about my two sisters and my pet dog at home.'' Kumar was away when the blaze began around 1.10 pm. His two younger sisters, aged 13 and 18, were inside at the time. ''They suffered minor burns while escaping down the stairs. Our dog was trapped inside, but the fire officials managed to rescue him. We are incredibly lucky,'' he said.

The family, including their mother, a housekeeper on the seventh floor, and father, a Central Public Works Department (CPWD) employee, has lived in the apartment for eight months.

According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), the fire originated in the stilt parking area where old furniture and wooden items had been stored. Fourteen fire tenders were deployed, and the blaze was largely under control by 2.10 pm.

Residents have alleged negligence on the part of the CPWD, stating that repeated complaints about the discarded furniture were ignored. ''The fire started from the heap of old sofas and wooden items that we had repeatedly asked them to remove,'' Kumar explained.

He added that a major tragedy was narrowly avoided because most residents were not home at the time. ''If this had happened in the evening when the building was fully occupied, it could have been catastrophic,'' he noted.

DFS officials mentioned that the open design of the parking area allowed flames to spread quickly, damaging the first floor and charring the outer walls of the upper floors; however, the third-floor apartments, including Kumar's, were largely spared.

The police have stated that the cause of the fire is under investigation.