Fire claims four lives at garment unit in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh

Four died and two suffered minor injuries after a fire broke out at a garment manufacturing unit in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh on Monday afternoon. Of the deceased, one was a specially-abled man and two were women. A case has been registered and the owner of the factory has been arrested.

According to the fire fighters, a blaze sparked when one of the workers was using white solvent. He spilt the solvent while pouring it in a spray machine. The solvent caught fire from a steam iron that was placed close by. White solvent is a chemical used to clean fabric.

According to the fire official, a call about a fire at a garment pressing unit on the first floor of a house in Bidanpura area of Karol Bagh was received at around 12.15 pm. 

“Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire was not very big, however, the lanes were dingy and the fire brigade couldn’t go inside the lane. We found a house which had a two-faced opening through which the water hose were passed to reach the building,” said Atul Garg, Chief Fire Officer (CFO) from the Delhi Fire Services.

The fire was dozed within 15 minutes of the incident. Police said the locals saw smoke coming out of the building and two workers, identified as Ajit Kumar and Pooja escaped in time with minor burn injuries. They were rushed to the hospital.

“When we reached the first floor, the fire had spread to two rooms. A man named Bhagan Rai’s (55) body was found charred near the entrance. This suggests that he may have blocked the path for others to escape. While three others identified as Ram Naresh (40), Aarti (20) and Aasha (40) were found dead on the back side who died of suffocation,” said a senior fire officer.

Prima facie police suspect that Rai was working at one of tables in the room and it must have been while cleaning a suit with a solution that it spilled. “The solution came in touch with the steam iron and it caught fire. Following this a minor blast took place and Rai was charred to death. We are looking into other details. The building will be inspected to find out other details,” said a senior fire officer.

Police rushed the bodies to the hospital and informed the victims’ family members. They said that the unit manufactures suits and jeans for children aged between 10 to 14 years. Panic-struck residents claimed that they were lucky as it was a Monday and the Gaffar market was shut.

“It would have been even worse and more lives could have been claimed. However being a Monday the footfall was next to nil at the market. Otherwise the fire brigade couldn’t have even reached the spot,” said a Vaibhav Mahi, a local.