Lives could have been saved if firefighters had better access in Rithala blaze: DFS official

New Delhi, Jun 25 (PTI) Several lives could potentially have been saved in the massive Rithala factory fire had firefighters not faced significant operational hurdles including traffic congestion, narrow lanes and the inability to deploy key equipment, a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said on Wednesday.

The blaze, which broke out on Tuesday evening in a four-storey building housing a manufacturing unit in Delhi's Rohini Sector-5, claimed the lives of four people, including two women, and left three others injured.

According to a source in the Fire Department, the fire is suspected to be "arsonal" in nature as a worker allegedly set himself ablaze following a dispute over unpaid dues with the factory owner.

"Preliminary findings suggest that the worker emptied a can of kerosene on the ground floor, set himself on fire and then ran to an office located between the ground and first floors, locking himself in," the source said.

The firefighting operation, which involved around 100 firefighters and lasted nearly 15 hours, was severely hampered by structural and logistical constraints in the locality.

"It was peak evening traffic. Our fire tenders struggled to navigate due to jams and the extremely narrow lanes.

"Once a tender was emptied, which happens in about 10 minutes, it was difficult to bring in a fresh one because the passage was too cramped for turnarounds," a senior DFS official said.

He said there was only one approach road to the building and it ended in a dead end, further complicating the movement of vehicles. "There was simply no space to manoeuvre or reverse the tenders efficiently. This led to repeated delays in bringing in filled tankers, which cost us precious time." Key equipment like the Articulated Water Tower (AWT) and hydraulic platforms, which are critical in dousing fires in multi-storey buildings, could not be used due to the constricted approach. "We could not deploy our AWT or hydraulic platforms because the lanes were too narrow for the vehicles to enter," the official said.

To aid the firefighting effort, officials resorted to using JCB machines to breach the building's exterior. "There was no ventilation in the structure, which worsened the fire situation. Initially, we tried creating holes manually with hammers. Later, a JCB was called in to punch openings into the ground and first floors so that water could reach inside and firefighters could enter," he said.

The lack of internal escape routes also made rescue operations extremely difficult. "There was only one entry and exit point in the entire building, which further restricted our personnel from carrying out internal firefighting efficiently," the official noted.

The Delhi Police has registered a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against unidentified persons and launched an investigation into the incident.

Fire officials said the first call regarding the incident was received around 7.30 pm on Tuesday, following which 16 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The operation continued through the night and concluded by Wednesday morning. PTI SSJ SSJ KSS KSS