A deadly fire ravaged a residential building in Sangam Vihar's Tigri Extension-1, reducing the once bustling Gupta family residence to a charred structure and claiming four lives, including the property owner.
A Family's World Guttered Overnight
The four-storey building, which stood intact until Saturday, was completely gutted by Sunday morning. Satender Gupta, a 38-year-old who owned the property and ran a footwear shop on the ground floor, was among the four victims who perished in the blaze.
His mother, Mithilesh, who had been sitting near the shop entrance, managed a narrow escape. On Sunday morning, outside the blackened remains of their home, she wept bitterly for her son, whom the family affectionately called "Jimmy." She clung tightly to her daughter-in-law, Priyanka, who was in deep shock, unable to speak and losing consciousness repeatedly.
Desperate Attempts to Save Loved Ones
The tragedy unfolded when Priyanka returned home with her two sons, four-year-old Ronak and seven-year-old Anmol, from their tuition classes. They were met with the horrifying sight of their building engulfed in flames. Locals recounted how all three immediately ran towards the inferno in a desperate attempt to save Satender, and had to be physically restrained.
In a heartbreaking turn of events, Satender initially managed to escape the fire, but was seen going back inside moments later. "We don't know why he went back. Maybe it was to rescue someone or to save something. But he never returned," a relative stated, their voice heavy with grief.
The family's devastation was compounded by the cruel timing of the tragedy. Gitender, Satender's younger brother, recalled how the family had celebrated their joint birthdays just the day before, on Friday. "Who could have imagined that things would end like this just hours later?" he said, breaking down.
Tenant and Brave Rescue Efforts
Anita, a 40-year-old long-time tenant who had become like family to the Guptas over the years, also lost her life in the fire. She lived with her 19-year-old son, who was fortunately not home at the time. Her sister, Mamta, who was visiting, survived by making a brave jump from the building.
A neighbour, Pramod Gupta (62), described how locals slowly pulled Mamta down as she was hanging onto a saree for dear life. "After rappelling down, she jumped from the first floor," he said, praising her courage as "the flames were dangerously close to her." Mamta was hospitalized with 25% burn injuries and fractures in her legs.
The profound loss was echoed by Satender's mother, who cried for Anita, whom she lovingly called Manju, "Manju bhi chali gayi. Kya hi bacha hai? (Manju is also gone. What's left in life?)"
Investigation and Community Response
Police have registered a case under sections pertaining to death by negligence and are conducting DNA tests to analyse the remains of two charred bodies for identification.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. While some locals claimed petrol was stored in the house, which might have accelerated the blaze, relatives of the Guptas suggested a short circuit could have sparked the fire.
Neighbours reported that 10 to 12 people were inside the building when the fire broke out. By the time police and firefighters arrived, rescue operations were already underway. Kamal (56), a neighbour, described how "they used wooden ladders to evacuate three to four people from my terrace, one by one."
A 23-year-old man claimed he was among those who pulled out some survivors, including children, from Satender's shop. They attempted to douse the flames with water, but the fire had already engulfed the entire structure, making their efforts futile against the rapidly spreading blaze.
