50 metres in 45 minutes

That was the reaction time of the fire department in this particular case

With the mercury rising in the Capital, instances of vehicles catching fire may increase in the coming days. On Monday afternoon a black Alto went up in flames barely 50 metres away from the fire department headquarters at Connaught Place. However, a fire tender reached the spot 45 minutes after a call was made to the department.


Heat wave: Traffic in Connaught Place and adjoining areas came to a
halt for sometime after a car caught fire in the area on Monday
afternoon. Pic/Rajeev Tyagi

Vinay Kumar who was driving the vehicle suddenly saw smoke coming out of it and then noticed the flames. The car had got overheated. He immediately came out of the Alto and made calls to the police and fire department, but the vehicle could not be saved.u00a0u00a0

The incident took place at around 2:55 pm outside Scindia House in Connaught Place's outer circle. Due to heavy traffic the fire caught the attention of passers-by and they stopped for help. Witnessing the apathy of the fire department, the mob started shouting slogans, causing congestion at CP and adjoining areas. The owner of the car was in a state of shock. "I can not believe I am alive. My car is gone but I thank god for saving me," he said

A fire tender arrived at around 3:40 pm. By then the car was completely gutted. Ranjana Kumari, an advisor with LIC, who was an eyewitness to the entire episode, also stopped the firemen as a mark of protest. "We should not permit such apathy. This is their duty and citizens can feel safe only when these agencies are on their toes. We should not encourage this."

The Other Side
But the fire department has a different story to narrate. According to a senior official the number of cases of fire is increasing in Delhi due to rising temperatures. "At the time when the car caught fire our fire tenders had gone to control two fires at CGO complex. As soon as we got information another fire tender was pressed from Rakabganj fire station. We could not reach the spot on time as traffic was very slow on Minto Road. With the help of traffic police we reached the spot and controlled the fire. Delay was not intentional," said Delhi Fire Service Director AK Sharma.

'Smaller is better'
The Delhi Fire Service is deploying smaller fire response vehicles to negotiate the narrow lanes and heavy traffic of the capital, an official had said earlier this month. "Ten small water tenders, one control van and five fast response vehicles with water nist technology have been added to the fleet," Delhi Fire Service chief AK Sharma told reporters. "The fast response vehicle, an Innova fitted with necessary equipment like thermal imaging cameras, water cylinders and small pumps, would be very helpful in reaching the spots in narrow lanes," Sharma added. The capital city witnessed a total of 22,187 fire and rescue calls in 2010-11, against 21,314 in 2009-10.
At present, the fire department has 53 stations. A total of 17 more will be added in the 11th Five Year Plan. However, the department is facing a staff crunch.