East Delhi fire: Man throws 3-year-old from balcony, then jumps with rest of his family; all 4 in hospital

New Delhi: A man threw his three-year-old child from the second-floor balcony of a building where a fire broke out in the Shakarpur area of Laxmi Nagar early morning here on Tuesday before jumping with his elder son and wife.

All four family members are currently undergoing treatment, three of them in ICU.

Kamal Tiwari (40), a resident of the five-storey building in east Delhi, wrapped his three-year-old child in a blanket and threw him from the balcony to save him from the fire that had already engulfed the entrance of his house.

Immediately after, he jumped with his 12-year-old son and wife Priyanka (36) to escape the blaze.

'The family was sleeping when they smelt smoke coming from the entrance of the flat. By the time they realised that the building had caught fire, it was too late. The entrance was completely engulfed in fire so they couldn't escape,' Sanjay Garg, a relative, said.

“They had no choice but to jump,” he said.

Garg said that they got to know that the fire started from the ground floor which later spread to the other floors.

'Priyanka took water from the washroom and poured it on the rest of them in the house. She also poured it around in the room to prevent the fire from spreading. She did this for half an hour,” he said.

Later, their elder son suggested that they should jump from the balcony rather than die in the fire, Garg said.

“Kamal was the last person among the four who jumped from the second-floor flat,” he added.

'The family was initially taken to RML Hospital but since the condition of the father and the kids was not well, we had to bring them to a private hospital,' he said.

The father and both kids were admitted to Kailash Deepak Hospital in Karkardooma as their condition was said to be critical. All three of them have been admitted to the ICU, and the condition of the three-year-old child is critical, relatives said.

The father has got multiple fractures while the younger kid is suffering from internal bleeding and is yet to gain consciousness, a relative said.

Garg said Priyanka has received major injuries and is currently admitted at RML hospital.

Kamal has a coaching institute in Laxmi Nagar and gives coaching to BCA and MCA students, he said. Priyanka is a homemaker who also offers coaching to students, he added.

The fire broke out in the building at around 1 am after a short circuit in the parking area, according to the police. A 40-year-old woman died in the fire, while 25 people were rescued by the Delhi Fire Service.

Several other families had to jump from their balcony to save their lives and others escaped from the terrace by jumping in the adjacent building.

At least two other residents of the first floor suffered fractures after jumping from their balconies, locals said.

'My daughter had to jump from the first floor when the fire erupted. Her limbs are fractured,' said Suprabha Devi, the victim's mother.

Another resident of the first floor, Naresh Nagar, whose flat was completely burnt in the fire, also has a fracture in his leg. He too had to jump from the balcony to escape the fire.

Police said five people had jumped from their balconies to escape the blaze.

A complaint was made to the discom to cut the electricity in the area they did not respond on time, locals alleged.

This is the second incident of a short circuit in the building, they said. Last year around Diwali, a short circuit in the same building was reported, they said.

Residents of nearby buildings said that they fear that the electricity poles in the vicinity with some open wires can cause the mishap again.