9 people were killed and 4 others were injured in the fire incident at Delhi’s Vivek Vihar. According to eyewitnesses, the house fire started early Sunday morning due to an explosion in the AC compressor. It seems that the accident happened due to short circuit due to AC explosion. It is primarily estimated that the fire spread rapidly due to this.
However, AC explosion seems to be the only cause of this massive accident in a four storied building. The reason for this is said to be the design flaw of this building which has 8 flats with 2 flats on each floor. Being on the same flight of stairs also affected the way out. The fire spread making it difficult for people to get out. Apart from this, the smart door locks in the second floor flat got locked due to short circuit. Due to this, the families in that flat could not come out. Five people died here.
The wooden walls in the building caused the fire to spread rapidly. Three residents on the upper floor tried to escape to the terrace. Terror locked the door and there was no escape. Before the flames engulfed them, they died due to smoke inhalation. Another dead body was found on the first floor. He could not get out as the doors were jammed.
Apart from this, the firemen faced many problems to enter the building. The fire started at the back of the building and spread up and down. The balconies behind the flats were covered with nets to prevent birds from entering. It took fire fighters time to cut them out. The iron grills placed for protection on the balconies delayed the rescue operation.