New Delhi: A massive fire broke out at an apartment complex, housing residences of several Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs, opposite Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on Saturday afternoon, an official said.
No casualties have been reported so far, a Delhi Fire Services official said.
However, some residents have claimed that a few children were injured in the incident and taken to RML Hospital.
A call regarding the fire at Brahmaputra Apartments on Baba Kharag Singh Marg was received at 1.22 pm, he said, adding that 14 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control by 2.10 pm.
Meanwhile, residents of the apartment complex, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020 and houses residences of several Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs, claimed that the fire started after some couches lying on the stilt floor caught fire due to the bursting of firecrackers.
Visuals of the apartment show thick, black smoke billowing into the sky from a distance, engulfing the building and casting a dark haze over the surrounding area.
Bhupendra Prakash, a DFS official, told PTI, “When we arrived, we found fire in the household storage items on the stilt floor. The flames were rising and causing damage to the upper floors.”
The cause of the fire is currently being investigated by the Delhi Police, he added.
Kamal, the personal assistant to an Uttarakhand MP, told PTI he was at work when the incident occurred.
“From what I have heard, the fire began after some sofas in the area caught fire,” he said.
“All our belongings, documents, jewellery, clothes, and essentials have been completely destroyed. The only thing left are the clothes on our bodies. We have to start from zero now,” Kamal added.
Anil Kumar, another resident of the apartment block gutted by the blaze, said the fire is believed to have started after a child was playing with crackers.
“The fire fell on some couches stored there and quickly spread across the building,” he told PTI.
“Two girls have been rushed to the hospital, and several belongings and materials belonging to staff members have been destroyed,” Kumar claimed.
Purnima, another resident, said she received a call around 1.20 pm informing her that a fire had broken out in the building.
“I was told that the fire started around 1.10 pm. When I rushed out, there was thick smoke coming from the apartments,” she said. “This is an area meant for MPs and such incidents should not be happening here.”
The lower three quarters are meant for staff, and from the fourth floor onwards, the flats of MPs begin, she told PTI.
“Most of the lower floors have been completely burnt, and we have heard that the fire even reached the fourth floor,” Purnima added.
Purnima said some residents claimed that a few children were injured and taken to RML Hospital, though it had not been confirmed yet.
“We request Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to visit the area and review the building’s safety. The staff members should be given proper accommodation until this building is restored,” she said.
“Most of the damage occurred on the stilt floor, but since the DFS responded quickly, the upper floors sustained only external damage,” he added.
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