by Tragedy Strikes as Fire Claims Four Lives in Residential Building in Shahdara
New Delhi, India – In a devastating turn of events, a fire broke out at a residential building in Shahdara, resulting in the tragic deaths of four individuals. Following the incident, the police have taken swift action by arresting the building owner, Bharat Singh, aged 72, and his grandson, Mohit, aged 27, on charges of culpable homicide. The accused have also been booked under Section 285 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter.
During the course of their investigation, the police discovered several lapses on the part of the building owners that allegedly contributed to the severity of the tragedy. It was found that the owners had unlawfully stored combustible materials such as rubber and wipers. Additionally, the terrace had been locked, obstructing the victims’ escape, and the only staircase in the building had become a death trap.
Further investigation revealed that the ground floor of the residential building was being used as a godown, where large quantities of combustible materials were stored. This hazardous stockpile likely accelerated the spread of the fire, according to officials.
The building, which consisted of ground plus four floors, had inadequate safety measures in place. Furthermore, an illegal factory was operating on the ground floor, raising suspicions that the fire was ignited by someone carelessly discarding a lit beedi or cigarette among the combustible materials.
The victims have been identified as Gauri Soni, aged 40, her son Pratham, aged 17, Rachna, aged 28, and Rachna’s nine-month-old daughter. Two other individuals, Prabhawati, aged 70, and Gauri’s daughter Radhika, aged 16, were injured in the incident.
The fire department and police control room were notified of the incident and arrived at the scene promptly. With the help of passersby, police personnel, and firefighters, several individuals were rescued from the building. However, tragically, four people succumbed to their injuries.
The injured individuals were rushed to Guru Teg Bahadur hospital for medical treatment. Authorities are continuing their investigation into the incident, including examining similar set-ups at other houses in the area.
This devastating incident serves as a stark reminder of the importance of adhering to safety regulations and taking necessary precautions to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.
Note: This article has been restructured and paraphrased to avoid plagiarism while maintaining the essence of the original news story.
