A fire broke out in a restaurant in west Delhi's Rajouri Garden market on Monday, forcing several students of an institute to jump off the building to save their lives according to police authorities.
According to the police, a person was taken to a hospital with minor injuries.
Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg said, "We received a fire call regarding a fire in Jungle Jamboree Restaurant near Rajouri Garden Metro Station at 2.01 pm. 10 fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the site to control the blaze."
No casualties have been reported so far and the cause of the fire remains unknown, he added. Thick smoke engulfed the area, creating panic among the shopkeepers.
Many videos of the incident went viral on social media showing people jumping off to an adjacent building to save their lives. Sources said there were more than 20 people at the time of the incident.
"It was around 2 pm, when many shopkeepers witnessed black smoke billowing from Jungle Jamboree restaurant. We immediately informed the police and fire brigade teams. More than 25 people jumped from the open sitting area to a nearby building's terrace to save their lives," a shopkeeper, Ghanshyam Agarwal, said.
Meanwhile, authorities have cordoned off the vicinity to facilitate firefighting operations. Deputy Commissioner of Police Vichtra Veer stated that an incident was reported in Rajouri Garden police station regarding fire in a building on the corner building of Najafgarh Road and police station road at around 2:00 pm.
“The building has various shops on the ground floor, a restaurant named Jungle Jamboree (which was closed) and an institute Montes Archimedes Acquisition Corp. (MAAC) Rajouri on another floor. The damage is lesser on the ground floor establishments,” he said.
He added, “The fire is in control and eight fire-tenders have been used so far. No casualty has been reported. However, the owners of establishments have been asked to account for all of the people who were in the premises at that time.”
Another senior official said that one person has been reported injured while being rescued (no burn injuries), and is undergoing treatment (no major injuries). “Further updates will be shared as available,” he added.
In response to the fire, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said the trade of eating house was running with valid Municipal Health Trade License namely M/s Jungle Jumboree at premises No. A-23, First Floor, Rajouri Garden, New Delhi-110027. “A letter was received from DFS regarding withdrawal of Fire Safety Certificate in respect of M/s Jungle Jumboree Restaurant, dated 21-10-2024, subsequently a request received from Licensee for surrender of Health Trade License. After that Health Trade License was revoked on 01-11-2024 and revocation Order followed by closure orders were served to the trader,” it added.
