Multiple cylinders, single escape route: How this Delhi house became a death trap

A 40-year-old woman died and two firefighters were injured after a blaze in a house in central Delhi’s Motia Khan led to a gas cylinder blast on Sunday.

Fire officials said the blaze could’ve become bigger had other cylinders kept in cramped spaces in the building also exploded. There was only one escape route in the house, which proved to be a major hurdle for fire personnel.

The victim, Hemlata, was in her kitchen on the third floor of the house when the cylinder exploded. The massive blast also injured two firefighters who had entered the building to control the blaze.

Police said the house belonged to a family of four, including Hemlata, her mother, brother, and sister-in-law. Three of them were outside when the incident took place. The ground floor housed an office or shop, while the other floors were occupied by the family.

Fire officials said the two personnel injured in the blast were assistant divisional officer Ravinder Singh and fire officer Ved Prakash. Sources said there were more than three cylinders in the house.

The fire department received a PCR call around 3pm on Sunday. Four fire tenders, along with 24 firefighters, rushed to the spot, which was a house at Gali Gai Wali in Motia Khan. a fire official said, initially, they received information that children were trapped but later came to know that a woman was trapped.

The fire official described the house as a “fire trap”, as some of the other gas cylinder they recovered were about to explode. There was a single escape route and the space was cramped with smoke all around. “During a fire, there is a chance to escape, but during a blast, there is no chance. We su- spect the woman died because of the blast and not the fire,” the official added.

The third floor was mostly damaged as the fire destroyed everything, even metal objects. One compressor was found on the ground floor. Officials suspect that there may have been a blast from some equipment with a compressor during the incident. However, the matter will be investigated by the police.

The city experienced a significant surge in fire-related incidents in February, with a 12% increase in such cases compared to the year-ago period. Data shared by the fire department, covering the period from February 1 to February 24, revealed a concerning trend, with 932 fire incidents reported in the city.

In contrast, during the same period last year, 834 incidents were reported. The data further showed that in February this year, 42 people were injured and rescued, and two lost their lives in fire-related incidents. Last year, though, the toll was higher, with 16 people dead and 34 injured and rescued.

In January this year, as many as 938 incidents were reported, with six fatalities and injuries to 38.