Spate of fires leaves one dead, 7 hurt

6 kids, mother in hospital due to leaking gas cylinder

A 62-year-old man was charred to death and seven members of a family suffered burn injuries in two separate incidents of fire reported from the city since Wednesday night.

The blaze that left one dead was reported from north Delhi’s Civil Lines area during the wee hours of Thursday. 

The victim Narendra Singh Rawat lived alone in a single room on the third floor of a residential building. Rawat worked as a domestic help at the home of one of the residents of the building.

It was around 1.30 am on Thursday that some residents of the building noticed smoke emanating from his room. The fire department was informed and they rushed four fire tenders to the spot.

It took about 30 minutes to douse the flames. By the time the firefighters could make inroads into the room, Rawat had already suffered severe burns. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

The fire is suspected to have been triggered by a burning cigarette. Rawat is learnt to have been a heavy smoker which explains police’s suspicion. The death is being investigated. 

In another blaze, apparently caused by a leaking gas cylinder, a woman and her six children were injured in outer Delhi’s Narela. The condition of one of the victims, an 11-year-old boy, is said to be critical. He is currently undergoing treatment at Lok Nayak Hospital in the city.

The injured children,four girls and two boys, are aged between five and 15. The only injured adult is their mother Nazreen.  Her husband Ayyub escaped as he was out of home at the time of the accident that was reported around 9 pm on Wednesday. The victims have told police that the blaze was ignited when Nazreen lit a candle in the kitchen. 

It is suspected that a small cooking gas cylinder in the kitchen had been leaking all the while and lighting the candle  ignited the flames.

The flames immediately spread through the house, leaving the woman and her children injured. 

The fire department arrived at the scene to control the blaze and rescue the victims. They were rushed to Maharshi Valmiki Hospital from where they were referred to Lok Nayak Hospital.