Four workers died of suffocation and one was injured after a fire broke out at Mahajan Electronics in west Delhi’s Moti Nagar.
The blaze started in the first-floor godown and spread to upper floors; firefighting was completed within an hour, officials said.
Police and forensic teams are probing the cause of the fire and possible lapses in fire safety norms, according to PTI.
Four employees of an electronics shop in west Delhi died and another was injured after a fire broke out in the building on Monday afternoon, as per the officials.
The blaze started around 3 pm in the first-floor godown of Mahajan Electronics in Moti Nagar and spread to the second floor, a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said. Five fire tenders were rushed after the incident was reported at 3.08 pm. Dense smoke made escape difficult and four workers were found unconscious, the official added.
With 4 dead, one person was also injured.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Vichitra Veer said the victims, Aayushi (22), Payal (20), Amandeep Kaur (22) and Ravi (28), died of suffocation. A fifth employee, Sandeep Sharma (25), is being treated in hospital.
The firefighting operation was completed by 4.10 pm, after which cooling work was carried out. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. According to PTI, the Moti Nagar police station received the first distress call around 3 pm and rescue operations were launched immediately.
Sumit, an employee of the store, told PTI that nearly 30–35 people work at Mahajan Electronics. “It was lunchtime when the fire started. Aman, Payal, Ravi and Ayushi were on the same floor where the fire broke out. They got trapped before they could escape,” he said.
Residents said they first assumed the smoke was due to a minor fault but realised the seriousness after hearing screams. “The smoke was so dense that visibility was almost zero,” a shopkeeper told PTI.
A DFS official said the fire was contained in about an hour.
Police said forensic teams will examine the site. “We are investigating all aspects, including whether there was any lapse in fire safety norms or negligence in handling electrical equipment,” DCP Veer said. PTI reported that the bodies have been preserved for post-mortem and families informed.
(With inputs from PTI)
