Delhi industrial area fire: 4 killed, 2 injured in Mangolpuri shoe factory blaze

New Delhi: Four people died, and two others sustained injuries after a massive fire broke out at a shoe factory in Phase 1 of the Mangolpuri Industrial Area in Delhi at around 9:30 p.m. on Friday.

Upon receiving information about the incident, police personnel and fire service teams were immediately deployed to the site to initiate rescue operations.

Multiple fire tenders worked for hours to bring the inferno under control. A total of six individuals were rescued from inside the factory after being discovered in an unconscious state, officials confirmed.

All six victims were immediately rushed to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital in Mangolpuri for emergency medical care.

Out of the six rescued, four individuals were declared dead upon arrival by hospital staff, while the remaining two are currently receiving medical treatment.

Fire Officer ADO Paras Kumar stated that the blaze initially originated in the basement, adding that firefighters successfully contained the flames to the lower level, preventing the fire from spreading to higher floors.

"The Fire Service received a call around 9:31–9:32 pm regarding a fire inside a factory in Mangolpuri...six individuals were rescued. All of them were transported to Sanjay Gandhi Hospital...It is a footwear manufacturing unit; shoes are produced and stored on the premises...the fire initially broke out in the basement. We managed to contain it within the basement, preventing it from spreading further. Due to the heavy smoke, we recovered one person from the third-floor staircase and rescued five others from the fourth floor. The fire has been completely extinguished, and the cooling-down process is currently underway," Kumar told reporters.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outer District) Vikram Singh confirmed that law enforcement authorities have issued a formal summons to the factory owner regarding the incident.

The officer added that investigators are interrogating the contractor and factory staff to establish the exact number of workers present inside the building during the incident.

"The cause of the fire is being investigated. The blaze originated in the basement, after which the fire and smoke spread upwards—there was a significant amount of smoke. The factory owner has been summoned, and we are also questioning the contractor and workers to determine the total number of labourers present," Singh told reporters.

Further details regarding the investigation are awaited.

Earlier on October 25, a separate fire broke out among shanties in Rani Garden, located within the jurisdiction of the Geeta Colony Police Station in the national capital, according to officials.

No casualties or injuries were reported in the earlier incident, though several hutments and personal belongings were destroyed.

"The cause of the fire is still under investigation. We arrived at the scene and immediately began firefighting operations, bringing the blaze under control within half an hour. No injuries have been reported," the attending fire officer said.

Recounting the incident, an affected resident noted that family members were asleep when the fire erupted, resulting in the total loss of their household possessions.

ANI