Overview
- The blaze, reported around 3:47–3:50 am Sunday, began in a second-floor rear flat and spread upward, killing nine people including a toddler.
- Firefighters deployed 12–14 tenders, used ladders and cutting tools to breach grilled balconies, and rescued about 10–20 residents before declaring the fire out by 8 am.
- Police registered a case of causing death by negligence and opened zonal and headquarters inquiries as forensic teams test whether an AC blast or a short circuit sparked the fire.
- Escape was blocked by a single staircase, a locked terrace gate, iron grills enclosing rear balconies, and doors that jammed in the heat, with several victims found near the roof access.
- Survivors alleged slow response and weak water pressure, while the Delhi Fire Service said the first engine arrived within minutes and tools worked as crews saved roughly 15 people.