Delhi Palam fire tragedy: Father-daughter leap from third floor to escape blaze; nine family members dead
Anil, along with his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, jumped from the third floor of the burning building after a rescue ladder failed to reach them
PTC Web Desk: A devastating fire in Delhi’s Palam area on Wednesday claimed the lives of nine members of a single family, including three children, while three others sustained injuries in a desperate bid to escape the inferno.
In a chilling account of survival, a man identified as Anil, along with his one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, jumped from the third floor of the burning building after a rescue ladder failed to reach them. Both were rushed to Safdarjung Hospital, where the child is undergoing treatment for fractures in both legs, while the father suffered head injuries.
The blaze broke out in a five-storey building near Ram Chowk Market, close to Palam Metro station. The ground and first floors of the structure housed a cloth and cosmetic showroom, while the owner Rajender Kashyap and his family resided on the upper floors.
Eyewitnesses described chaotic and heart-wrenching scenes as thick smoke quickly engulfed the building, cutting off the only entry and exit point. According to a neighbour, a rescue ladder could only reach up to the second floor, leaving those trapped above with little hope.
“In panic, Anil tried to climb down with his daughter, but as the fire intensified, he attempted to lower her. In the confusion, she slipped and fell,” a local resident said. Some claimed the child was thrown down in the hope that rescuers would catch her, but she hit the ground after missing their grasp, possibly due to obstructions below.
Moments later, Anil also jumped, landing on a parked vehicle before collapsing with injuries.
Another family member, Sachin (29), managed to reach the rooftop and leap onto an adjacent house, suffering burns on his hands during the escape.
Residents alleged serious lapses in emergency response, claiming there were no safety nets or cushioning arrangements in place. They also said the first fire tender that arrived malfunctioned, and a second vehicle took nearly 50 minutes to reach the site, delaying rescue efforts.
Desperate neighbours attempted to break windows and even damage parts of the structure to rescue those trapped inside, but the intensity of the flames and smoke made access nearly impossible.
Visuals from the site showed towering flames and thick black smoke rising from the building as firefighters battled the blaze in the congested market area.
Authorities deployed a large-scale rescue operation involving around 30 fire tenders, 11 ambulances, and teams from the police, BSES, Air Force police, and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF).
The fire has now been brought under control, officials confirmed. The area has been sealed off, and a forensic team has been called in to investigate the cause of the fire.