Nine Dead, Including Toddler, in Early Morning Fire in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar

A devastating fire in Delhi’s Vivek Vihar area early this morning claimed nine lives, including that of a one-year-old child, while leaving two others injured.

The blaze broke out on the second floor of a four-storey residential building around 4 am. Firefighters rushed to the spot with at least 14 fire tenders, but by the time they arrived, the flames had already spread to the upper floors. 

Rescue operations were launched immediately, and more than a dozen people were rescued from the building, officials said.

Authorities have identified all nine victims. The worst hit was the second floor, where five members of a family lost their lives: Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita Jain (58), their son Nishant Jain (35), his wife Anchal Jain (33), and their young son Akash Jain (1.5).

On the third floor, three more family members were killed: Nitin Jain (50), his wife Shailey Jain (48), and their son Samyak Jain (25).

On the first floor, Sikha Jain (40) died in the incident, while her husband, Naveen Jain (48), sustained injuries and is being treated.

The injured were shifted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, where they are currently undergoing treatment.

DCP Shahdara, Rajendra Prasad Meena, said, “Early in the morning, around 4 am, a call was received about a fire. Fire tenders and local police were immediately rushed to the spot. It took about two hours to bring the fire under control, after which search operations were carried out.” 

Police said all the bodies have been recovered and handed over to the Delhi Police crime team.

Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control after nearly two hours, around 6 am. Visuals from the scene showed extensive damage, with several parts of the building charred and smoke still rising from the top floor.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta described the incident as ‘extremely tragic’ and expressed condolences to the bereaved families.

She wrote in a post on X, “The fire incident in a building in Vivek Vihar is extremely tragic. The loss of 9 lives in this accident has left me deeply distressed. Treatment of the injured in the accident is ongoing at the nearest hospital, and I pray for their swift recovery. In this hour of grief, my condolences are with the affected families. I pray to God to grant them the strength to endure this difficult time", she added. 

She further stated, “All senior officials of the local administration, DDMA, Delhi Fire Service, and Delhi Police are fully engaged with utmost promptness in relief and rescue operations. The situation is being continuously monitored, and every possible assistance is being ensured for those affected," the CM said.