Blaze at girls’ hostel, no casualty

Students jumped from window in panic; fire broke out in basement of building

Some students were hospitalised. The girls, all medical students, have been shifted to another building.

A fire broke out at a two-storey girls’ hostel in west Delhi’s Janakpuri on Wednesday, officials said, adding that around 50 girls were safely rescued.

Fearing for their lives, around eight medical students, who were trapped in the smoked-filled building, jumped out of a window from the first floor after they found the room was locked from outside, said the hostellers.

Delhi Fire Services said that they got a call at 3.05 a.m. regarding a fire that had broken out in the basement of a girls’ hostel at Janakpuri A block. Three fire tenders were rushed to the location.

Chief Fire Officer Atul Garg said that the fire broke out at Kaveri girls’ hostel. The blaze was brought under control within an hour.

Mr. Garg said that around 50 girls, who were staying in the hostel, were safely rescued. Five girls were rushed to Arya Hospital after they fell unconscious due to smoke inhalation.

The injured persons were admitted in the ICU as they were having difficulty in breathing. They were discharged in the evening, said Manish Singh, a doctor.

A rescue officer said that they had to cut open the lock at the main gate to enter the building. It seemed that the security guard had run away seeing the fire, he said. “The fire broke out in an electrical panel in the basement. The building was engulfed in smoke resulting from burning of wires. This resulted in suffocation,” said the officer.

Door locked

A student said that she was sleeping on the first floor when they all started to feel suffocated, adding that there was a smell of burning rubber.

“I tried to open the door but it was locked from outside. We screamed for help but no one responded. We then jumped out of a window,” said the girl.

Another hosteller said she jumped from a height of around 15 feet to save herself. “We thought what we had seen happening in Surat a few days back was going to happen with us. The fire department acted promptly and saved the ones trapped on the ground floor.”

The building was taken on lease by a coaching centre to accommodate students preparing for pre-medical test examinations.

Kiran Dharmaadhikari, the caretaker of the hostel said there were 40 girls, all medical students, in the building at the time of the incident, adding that they are fine now.

“The girls had been shifted to the building in April just before their classes began. Most of them hail from Haryana or Rajasthan. The girls have been shifted to another building for the time being. Their belongings are safe,” said Ms. Kiran.