At least 3 dead, several injured as massive fire engulfs building in Delhi's Tughlakabad Extension; multiple rescued

NEW DELHI: Three people lost their lives, and five women were rescued after a major fire broke out at a five-storey residential building in South East Delhi's Tughlakabad Extension on Thursday.

Cops suspect that an electrical short circuit, possibly linked to an electric scooter being charged, triggered the blaze.

According to police, a PCR call reporting the fire was received at around 2.31 am. Emergency services rushed to the scene and launched a coordinated rescue operation.

A total of eight residents trapped inside the smoke-filled building were evacuated and taken to Safdarjung Hospital and the AIIMS Trauma Centre for treatment.

Police said three people died in the incident, including a 22-year-old man and two women. Two other victims remain in critical condition.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire originated on the ground floor due to an electrical short circuit. The flames rapidly spread to seven parked two-wheelers, including an electric scooter that was reportedly being charged at the time.

Meanwhile fire department officials said that the blaze started in the basement area of the building and quickly engulfed the parked vehicles. The fire then spread to the ground, first and second floors, filling the structure with dense smoke and trapping residents inside.

The deceased were identified as Pankaj (28), his mother Guddi (50), and his sister Soni (20).

His other sister Moni (18) and 70-year-old maternal grandmother were critical.