A couple and their three children died while several others sustained injuries when a fire broke out at a slum cluster in northwest Delhi’s Bhalswa Dairy area in the wee hours on Monday.
The deceased were identified as Kalam (35), his wife Ravina (32), who was visually impaired, and their three sons — Salamat (8), Niyamat (6) and eight-month-old Azmat. They were natives of Madhubani district in Bihar, a senior police official said.
“Around 3 am we received a call about a fire at four slums near Raja Masjid in Bhalswa Dairy area. Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control in 30 minutes. However, five people were dead by then. A cooling operation was launched at around 3.30 am,” a fire official said. Teams of Delhi Disaster Management Authority and police stations under the Model Town sub-division were also rushed to the spot, the fire official added.
The five members of the family, along with a few others who sustained injuries in the process of trying to douse the fire themselves, were rushed to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital, where Kalam, Ravina and the three children were declared brought dead, a police official said. The cause of fire is yet to be ascertained.
The official said police will also be examining as to why Kalam’s family couldn’t escape the fire. As of now, it is suspected that they choked to death while they were asleep and and later their bodies were charred in the fire, police said.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the spot in the afternoon. The CM announced Rs8 lakh to the daughter of Kalam who is left-behind and is in Bihar, living with his maternal uncle, said sources. According to the revenue department notification of the Delhi Government the other three jhuggis that were trapped in fire and were destroyed are to be helped with Rs25,000 each. The affected slums’ families have been equipped with proper food, water, tents, and medicines facilities, added a police official.