Palam fire: Neighbours recount frantic rescue attempts, allege delays

Neighbours of the family killed in a devastating fire in Delhi’s Palam area on Wednesday described frantic, ultimately futile attempts to rescue those trapped inside, even as some alleged that malfunctioning firefighting equipment delayed the operation.

The blaze gutted the multi-storey building near Ram Chowk Market, close to Palam Metro station, killing nine members of the family — including three children — and injuring three others.

The structure housed a cloth and cosmetics showroom on the ground and first floors, while the family of the owner Rajender Kashyap lived on the upper floors.

According to locals, a flower seller first spotted the fire at around 6.30 am and alerted residents. Police said information about the blaze reached the Palam Village police station at 7.04 am, after which emergency teams were dispatched.

Kamal, a school cab driver, said nearly 40 people — including residents and firefighters — tried to break open the showroom shutter to reach those trapped. The shutter now lies mangled, with charred electrical wiring hanging loose.

He alleged that the fire brigade faced technical issues upon arrival. “When the fire brigade arrived, it was unable to operate its equipment due to a malfunction in the pressure system. Had the equipment worked on time, some people would have been saved,” he said.

Residents said repeated attempts were made to reach those inside before additional fire tenders arrived. Fire officials said a total of 30 fire tenders were deployed.

Raghunandan Sharma, who runs a nearby garment shop, said he rushed to the spot after being alerted by his son. “By the time I reached, the fire had already spread. I started shouting for people to run upstairs. Someone shouted back that they were stuck,” he said.

He said neighbours climbed onto the terrace of an adjacent building and used hammers to break a shared wall in a bid to gain access. “We tried to enter from there, but the smoke was so dense that we couldn’t go in,” Sharma said. Attempts were also made to break a front-facing window, but to no avail. “The smoke was so thick that nothing was visible,” he added.

Sharma further alleged that a hydraulic machine brought by the fire brigade did not function for around 45 minutes, while another fire tender took nearly 50 minutes to arrive. “Because of the delay, people had to try going up themselves,” he said, adding that timely functioning of the equipment might have averted the tragedy.

Other neighbours involved in the rescue effort echoed this, saying the smoke grew increasingly dense, making it impossible to move even a step inside.

Police personnel also joined residents in breaking through a portion of the wall from the adjacent building. “We all tried together and managed to break part of the wall, but the smoke was so dense that it was impossible to even take a single step inside,” a neighbour said.

Officials said the cause of the fire is under investigation, and allegations of delays and equipment malfunction are also being examined.

Residents pointed to the nature of goods stored in the building as a factor in the rapid spread of the blaze. “They dealt in undergarments and cosmetics, which are highly flammable. The house was packed with goods and had little to no ventilation,” a neighbour said.

The victims were part of a large joint family, residents said, including an elderly couple, their sons and daughters-in-law, and several grandchildren. Some members of the family were away at the time — one son was travelling abroad, while another’s family had gone to Shimla.

Sharma added that Kashyap’s wife was physically disabled and used a wheelchair, which may have made evacuation more difficult. Kashyap, he said, is a two-time elected market president. “He was a very good and friendly person. His family was very sociable and always stood by others in times of sorrow,” Sharma said. “All of his children were involved in the family business, while the daughters-in-law were homemakers.”

With PTI inputs