A 22-year-old student suffered a fractured hip after jumping from the third floor of a paying guest (PG) accommodation in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh to escape a fire that broke out in the building on Wednesday morning, police and fire officials said. Another 19-year-old student escaped by climbing onto the terrace of an adjoining building, they said.
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The fire broke out on the first floor of the four-storey building in Channa Market and soon spread to the second floor. The basement, ground floor and two upper floors housed a leather footwear manufacturing unit and godown, while the third floor was being used as a PG accommodation, a fire department official said on condition of anonymity.
Officials said apart from the two students, there was no one else in the building when firefighters arrived. They believe those present in the leather footwear unit and godown managed to escape soon after the fire broke out.
“The building was being illegally used for commercial activities even though it appeared to have been constructed as a residential building,” the official said.
The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) received a call about the fire at 10.58am and initially rushed five fire tenders to the spot. After finding that the blaze had spread to the second floor, it deployed nine more fire tenders. The fire was brought under control by 12.30pm.
“Residents saw the two students standing on the rear third-floor balcony, screaming for help. They quickly placed mattresses on the street below and urged them to jump. Though initially reluctant, 22-year-old Vipra Arya jumped and landed on the mattresses, sustaining the fracture. while 19-year-old Namrata Yadav climbed onto the terrace of the adjoining building and saved herself,” a second fire official said on condition of anonymity.
Deputy commissioner of police (Central) Rohit Rajbir Singh said a case under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) has been registered to ascertain the cause of the fire and investigate the alleged illegal commercial activities in the building. “We are collecting details regarding the ownership of the building as well as the commercial activities. Further investigation is under way,” he said.
