A day after a devastating fire claimed nine lives in southwest Delhi's Palam, a grieving father returned to the charred remains of his home on Thursday, alleging that systemic negligence had taken away everything he held dear. A massive fire broke out in Palam on Wednesday morning, killing several people after it engulfed a residential house. (Vipin Kumar / HT Photo)
Rajender Kashyap, who lost nine members of his family in the blaze, entered the gutted structure near Ram Chowk Market along with police and forensic science laboratory (FSL) teams as part of the ongoing investigation.
Overcome with grief after stepping out, he broke down and blamed the authorities. "This is the system's failure. Had there been a timely response, my family would have been alive," Kashyap claimed.
The four-storey building, located in a congested lane near Palam Metro Station, housed a cloth and cosmetics business in the basement, ground and first floors, while the family lived on the upper levels.
The fire broke out around 6.15 am on Wednesday, spreading rapidly through the structure and killing nine people, including a 70-year-old woman and three young girls, one of whom was just three years old. Three others were injured while attempting to escape.
Eyewitnesses had earlier alleged delays in rescue operations, claiming that the first hydraulic crane deployed at the spot malfunctioned and that a second crane took nearly an hour to arrive, costing crucial time.
On Thursday, neighbours gathered outside the building for a condolence meeting, as questions arose regarding the cause of the fire and the effectiveness of the emergency services.
Some residents suspected a short circuit, pointing to an electrical board near the staircase on the ground floor as a possible origin of the blaze, though the exact cause is yet to be ascertained.
"The response was very late. If help had arrived on time, things could have been different," a neighbour said, standing beside the bereaved father.
Another local alleged that at least four to five lives could have been saved with quicker intervention. "The first fire tender's hydraulic system did not work. That delay proved fatal," he claimed.
The building now stands blackened and hollowed out, with its interiors completely gutted, as the neighbourhood struggles to come to terms with the scale of the tragedy.
A case has been registered and a magisterial inquiry ordered into the incident, while further investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of the fire and any lapses in response.