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A 60-year-old partially paralysed man died after a fire broke out after a fire allegedly broke out at his third-floor flat near Paharganj in central Delhi, trapping him inside his locked room, fire and police officials said on Tuesday. His 40-year-old son suffered minor burns on his hands while trying to rescue him.
The incident took place on Monday afternoon at a four-storey residential building in the Chuna Mandi area.
Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said that they received a call regarding the fire at around 2:40pm. Two fire tenders were dispatched to the spot and they doused the fire in half an hour.
Three police personnel reached the third floor using the staircase and entered the flat where the fire, which had started a few minutes ago, was spreading rapidly.
They found a woman — later identified as the victim’s wife (57) — and her 40-year-old son trying to open the door of a room that was locked from inside. The woman informed the personnel that her husband, who was partially paralysed, was trapped inside the locked room.
The two were rescued with the help of locals, said senior police officials. “The 40-year-old son suffered burns on his hand in his attempt to break open the door. As the fire was spreading quickly and thick smoke had engulfed the flat, we first rescued the woman and her injured son using the staircase. Thereafter, we rushed again to the flat but failed to open the door due to the spreading fire,” said assistant sub-inspector Ranbir Singh.
The police personnel then, along with firemen, tried to enter the room by breaking the glass window of the room from an adjacent house.
However, they still could not enter the room due to flames and smoke.
They entered the room once the fire was fully doused and found the 60-year-old lying unconscious and with severe burns.
“He was shifted to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, where the attending doctor declared him dead,” said another officer, asking not to be named.
According to a preliminary investigation, the fire allegedly broke out after a short circuit and spread among domestic articles on the third floor. However, the cause still has to be confirmed and police have yet to establish where the fire first began.
“We really tried our best to save the elderly man’s life but the fire was such that we could not break the door,” added Singh.
Police said the 60-year-old generally stayed at home due to his health condition. His wife and two sons – the 40-year-old and a 36-year-old — had left home around 10 am for work. The sons work as henna artists, while their mother works in a private company, all nearby.
The family had rushed back home after neighbours informed them about the fire. The 36-year-old exited the flat himself as the fire was spreading, police said.
Karn Pratap Singh has been writing on crime, policing, and issues of safety in Delhi for almost a decade. He covers high-intensity spot news, including terror strikes, serial blasts and security threats in the national capital.
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