‘Staircase was blocked, balcony grilled’: Residents recall desperate escape during Delhi’s Vivek Vihar fire

A massive fire ripped through a four-storey residential building in Delhi's Shahdara area, killing at least nine people, including a toddler. The blaze spread quickly across multiple flats on the second, third, and fourth floors, trapping residents in grilled balconies and smoke-choked staircases. Witnesses recalled desperate escape attempts, with some residents being rescued by the fire department after being stuck for over an hour. Emergency services faced delays, with one resident reporting being given incorrect numbers to contact.