Warehouse fire kills five

Two children and a woman were among those who died in the incident

Warehouse fire kills five

Two children and a woman were among those who died in the incident

A major fire broke out at a warehouse situated on Asaf Ali Road under mysterious circumstances on Sunday morning killing five and leaving two grievously injured. According to police sources, at 9:30 in the morning chemicals kept in the warehouse caught fire which was doused after almost an hour of efforts by a fleet of nine fire tenders.

Gone to the blazes: Fire fighters inside the warehouse on Asaf Ali Road
on Sunday morning. According to the authorities chemicals stored inside
caught fire for unknown reasons. PIC/Imtiyaz Khan

According to a fire department official, the blaze started at around 9.45 am in Rajdhani transport godown on Asaf Ali Road near Ajmeri Gate when the chemicals kept inside caught fire and spread in two rooms where foam mattresses were kept. "Around eight fire tenders rushed to the spot and the blaze was doused after an hour," said the official.

Terrible end
According to police, both families used to live in the two-room warehouse and were working there as labourers. They were trapped inside when the fire broke out. "The deceased have been identified as Sanjay Tiwari (38), Tiwari's six-year-old son Rishabh, Sandeep Yadav, his wife Manti Devi (28) and their five-year-old son Saurabh. Tiwari's wife and his five-year-old son have got serious burn injuries," said a senior police officer. The godown belongs to a person named Raju, a resident of Faridabad. The police have registered a case against him.
The victims were rushed to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital where the caretaker Sanjay Tiwari, aged forty, succumbed to his injuries along with his son Rishabh, while Meera and Lucky are still undergoing treatment.

Charred
The warehouse guard Sandeep Yadav, who too was living there with his family, also lost his life along with his wife Manti Devi aged twenty eight and son Saurabh, aged four. Both the guard and the caretaker hailed from Bihar and were living in the city for work related reasons. "The reason is believed to be a chemical explosion but there is no information as to why the owner stored chemicals in the warehouse while he was dealing in goods carriers. We have booked him in a case and investigation is going on." said a police official. Meanwhile, hospital authorities have refused to comment on Meera Tiwari's condition but maintained that her son Lucky is critical and has serious burn injuries.

Two killed, two others injured in road mishap
Barely hours after the fire an auto collided with a truck, again on Asaf Ali Road, yesterday afternoon, killing two people and leaving another two critically injured. The incident took place at the traffic signal, when the auto carrying four people, coming from Vijay Ghat, rammed into the vehicle proceeding towards it from the opposite side. Both vehicles collided and turned upside down. The two persons who survived the collision, received grave burn injuries as the collision led to a massive explosion on the spot. A 22-year-old tabla player, who was to perform at the inauguration ceremony of India International Trade Fair (IITF) at Pragati Maidan, along with the auto driver, was killed. His cousin and his uncle got severe injuries. "The deceased have been identified as Atul Prasanna (the tabla player) and Rama Shanker (45), the auto-rickshaw driver," a senior police official said.