Two sisters, aged 14 and 12, suffocated to death after a fire broke out at a multi-storeyed house on Chameliyan Road in north Delhi’s Sadar Bazar on Tuesday, the police said.
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According to officials, eight persons were trapped inside the building as thick smoke engulfed it following a blast in an AC compressor.
A relative said while six of the victims were rescued, the girls — Gulashna, 14, and Anaya, 12 — got trapped inside a bathroom on the second floor where they had locked themselves as thick smoke slowed rescue efforts.
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The relative said both had returned from school in the afternoon and were asleep in a room when the fire broke out.
‘Smoke delayed rescue’
The rescuers were able to enter the building with much difficulty, using gas masks, the relative added. The girls were found unconscious in the bathroom by the rescuers, who entered it by breaking open its door.
They were taken to a hospital, where doctors declared them dead, DCP (North) Manoj Kumar Meena said.
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A Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said, “The building had glass windows and poor ventilation which trapped the smoke.” He added, “Five fire tenders were pressed into service after we got information about the incident at 2.07 p.m.”
Finance Minister Atishi condoled the loss of lives. In a post on X in Hindi, she said, “The death of the two girls is very unfortunate. May God give courage to their family.”
The Minister said the district administration has been asked to submit a report on the incident.