Dwarka fire: Kin blame delayed emergency response for family members' deaths

New Delhi, Jun 10 (PTI) People who witnessed the massive fire in Delhi's Dwarka, killing three family members and injuring two, blamed the delay in emergency response for the loss of lives.

A flex printing businessman, his 11-year-old daughter and his nephew perished after a massive fire broke out in their ninth-floor flat, trapping 12 family members inside with no escape and no help from the neighbours.

According to the police and fire officials, the fire call was received around 10.01 am. However, locals and relatives of the victims allege that emergency response teams arrived an hour later, by which time three individuals had jumped from the ninth-floor apartment in a desperate attempt to escape.

Yash Yadav, 40, his daughter Aashima, and his nephew succumbed to multiple fractures resulting from an approximately 80-foot jump, as well as burns sustained in the fire.

Yadav's close friend, Amit Bhandari, stated that the family had returned home from a Bhagwat Katha at his sister's house, located about three kilometers away, late Sunday night. "No one could imagine this would happen," Bhandari said.

Yash’s son, Aditya, his wife and many other family members who had come to Delhi from Uttar Pradesh managed to escape after some locals ran towards the flat and broke open the front door.

"When the fire started, even the guards didn't open the gate. People were screaming, and no one came to help. The neighbours were recording videos instead of helping," Bhandari alleged.

Among the survivors and his family members were Aditya, Suraj, Uditya, Mamta's sister Madvi and a few other relatives.

An eyewitness recounted a traumatic moment when the children were seen hanging from the windows, crying for help.

"It was around 9.40 am. I was buying vegetables nearby when I saw the flames and smoke. Three people were hanging outside the balcony, screaming. People were shouting at them not to jump, but there was no option left. They jumped around 10.15 am," he said on the condition of anonymity.

Another local said they watched the tragedy unfold from the street below, powerless to help.

"We could see everything, and yet, we were helpless. No bedsheets, no mattresses, no safety nets, nothing was done to save them," he said.

Jitender Singh, a local shopkeeper, said that even though repeated calls were made to emergency services, the fire brigade arrived "at least an hour later." "Had they reached in time, lives could have been saved," he said.

According to the police, preliminary investigation suggests the fire may have been triggered by a short circuit inside the home temple.

The final cause will be confirmed only after a forensic inspection.

Friends remembered Yash as a hard-working individual who purchased the duplex two years ago. After moving to the city, he labored for a decade to build a stable life for his family.

"He even launched a small modular kitchen and interior design business during COVID-19. He just moved into this flat two years ago, and now everything is gone," Bhandari lamented.

Family members are planning to take the bodies to Etah in Uttar Pradesh, Yash's native village.

Yash's elder son, Aditya, is currently in his first year of BBA.

"He has not spoken a word since the incident. He is in shock. He lost his father and sister," said Yogesh Yadav, a cousin who rushed to the site after getting a call about the fire.

An eyewitness claimed that three to four minutes after the fire, the flat was filled with dense black smoke, and visibility was nearly impossible.

A woman living in the neighbouring tower said the screams she heard were horrific.

With the sun setting over the burned-out structure of the high-rise, a lone thought lingers in the minds of the victims' family and friends: the tragedy could have been averted had help arrived on time. PTI BM BM MPL MPL