A tragedy was averted in Janakpuri area on the wee hours of Wednesday when a girls hostel caught fire. There were 50 girls sleeping in the hostel when thick smoke started billowing from the basement. The caretaker of the hostel alerted the girls and they all were evacuated with the help of Delhi Fire Services (DFS) firemen who reached the spot within few minutes of the call being received by the DFS control room.
“Six of the girls were taken to a nearby hospital after they complained of dizziness caused by smoke inhalation, Chief Fire Officer Atul Garg said. Two of them were discharged after first aid, he said. The fire department said they received a call about the blaze at 3 am after which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
Police said all the girls are from outside of Delhi and they were preparing for medical exams and were enrolled with a coaching academy in the area. The fire broke out in an electric panel at the basement entry of the hostel, the fire officer said. The fire was brought under control by 3.30 am, the fire officer added.
It may be noted that having taken cognisance of the Surat fire tragedy that had caused death of 22 students at a coaching institute, Delhi Home Minister Satyender Jain had on Monday issued directions to the chief of DFS to “take strict action as per the fire safety standards and guidelines to prevent recurrence of such accidents” in the national Capital.
“The Director (Fire Services) has been asked to immediately inspect and shut and seal coaching centres operating in highrise buildings above the fourth floor. The Delhi Government further issued notice to all the civic authorities to enforce the ‘Unified Building Bylaws’ in coaching centres. In the first phase, all coaching centres operating in high-rise buildings (more than four floors excluding the stilt floor) shall be inspected by the Director (Fire Service),” the order read.
As per the law, kitchen/cooking and storage of inflammable material are not allowed on rooftops. Multi-storey buildings, hotels and commercial buildings will lose No Objection Certificate (NOC) for violation of norms. Further, in the buildings, carbon monoxide detector and alarm should be installed in all the private and commercial buildings.