7 deadly fires that engulfed Delhi-NCR in the last one year

Naraina fire (Feb, 2019)

A paper card factory of Archies in Delhi's Naraina Industrial area was engulfed in fire. The fire destroyed the four-storey building belonging to Archies. There had been a short circuit on the first floor leading to the massive blaze. The fire could not be put out for almost 12 hours. It ended up gutting the entire building over a 1000 sq metre plot. 20 fire tenders were used to douse the fire. The four-storey building did not have a no objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department, a must for all buildings. Fortunately, there were no casualties.

Like several such incidents, this one too was a disaster waiting to happen. 17 people were charred to death in an unfortunate fire in a Karol Bagh hotel. The hotel had openly flouted building by-laws and still possessed a no objection certificate (NoC) from the fire department. Illegal structural changes seem to be a norm in this area where 170 of the 320 hotels have NOCs. This hotel had six storeys instead of the permissible four. The temporary floor was illegally used as an open-air restaurant. The terrace, said officials, was covered with inflammable material that led to the flames spreading like wildfire. The fire safety system was non-functional and fire alarm non-existent.

A massive fire broke out in Metro Hospitals and Heart Institute in Noida on Thursday afternoon, trapping several people inside the multi-storeyed building. The hospital is located in Noida's Sector 12 area. About 30-35 patients were rescued and shifted to local hospitals. Staffers tried to help patients out of the building as thick smoke billowed out of the building. All the patients were successfully rescued and moved to the hospital's branch in Sector 11. According to initial reports, a short circuit is suspected to have started the fire.

Furniture market, Kirti Nagar (Jan 10, 2019)

The crowded area of Kirti Nagar which houses the famous furniture market caught fire. It started from a slum dwelling. A timber godown and a few huts were totally gutted. More than 30 fire engines had to be summoned to douse the blaze. The fire brigade had trouble reaching the site causing the delay. The fire was one one side of the railway line, hence trains were stopped for nearly three hours.

Malviya Nagar (May 29, 2018)

A crowded residential area of Malviya Nagar was engulfed in a massive fire. It had begun in a warehouse at Khirki Extension. The fire went on for 20 hours. An MI-17 helicopter of the Air force had to pour water to douse this 'highest category' blaze. As many as 80 fire engines worked for hours to contain the blaze. The police claim a truck loaded with rubber material parked near the godown caught fire leading to the mishap.   

Shahdara's MS Park (April 23, 2018)

At least 300 shanties were gutted after a major fire broke out in Shahdara's MS Park. A six-year-old girl was killed in the fire. the Metro train services between Dilshad Garden and Mansarovar Park stations were suspended for over an hour. Around 15 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire had started in a slum.

Bawana Industrial area (Jan 20, 2018)

At least 10 women and seven men were charred to death in a fire that broke out in a firecracker unit in northwest Delhi's Bawana industrial area. A massive fire ripped through the two storeyed factory. The fire began in the firecracker factory's packaging unit. It also had a rubber factory atop it. Delhi government ordered a probe into the incident.