A massive fire in a four-storey residential building in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar area claimed at least nine lives and left two others injured in the early hours of Sunday morning. Officials said the blaze erupted around 4 am on the second floor before rapidly spreading to the upper levels of the structure. Soon after receiving the distress call, authorities dispatched 14 fire engines to the location to begin firefighting and rescue efforts. Vivek Vihar, known as one of East Delhi’s prominent residential areas, witnessed panic as flames and thick smoke engulfed large sections of the building while emergency teams worked to evacuate trapped residents safely.
Fire department personnel and police teams rescued more than a dozen occupants from the burning building during the operation. The injured victims were shifted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital for medical treatment. According to officials, the flames were finally brought under control after nearly two hours, around 6 am, following an extensive firefighting effort. Visuals from the scene showed severe damage to multiple sections of the building, with smoke still billowing from the top floor. Shahdara DCP Rajendra Prasad Meena stated that rescue and search operations were launched immediately after the fire was contained to check for additional victims inside the premises.
Police officials confirmed that all recovered bodies had been handed over to the Delhi Police crime team for further investigation and identification procedures. The exact cause of the blaze has not yet been determined, although local residents suspect an air-conditioner explosion may have started the fire. One resident claimed that an AC unit blast triggered the flames, leading to the rapid spread of smoke and fire through the building. He added that around 12 to 15 people were rescued, but several individuals were initially feared missing. Another resident said firefighters evacuated nearly 20 people using balconies while some families from rear-side flats managed to escape on their own.