Delhi: Day After Death Of 43 People, Fire Breaks Out Again In Same Building In Anaj Mandi Area

Even as the people of Filmistan area were coming to the terms with the horrific blaze that killed 43 people on Sunday, a fire broke out again in the same building on Monday morning. Initial reports suggest that the blaze was reported from the third floor of the building that was gutted in the Sunday incident. The fire department has not issued any statement so far, however, the second fire in the building means that the area is still unsafe for the people living in the vicinity. Four fire tenders have been rushed to the spot, the news agency ANI said. Latest reports say that 34 people out of 43 casualties have been identified by their relatives.

A massive fire at a Delhi factory claimed at least 43 lives, mostly labourers, early on Sunday. The Filmistan fire is the worst that the National Capital has witnessed since the Uphaar tragedy that killed 59 people.  The tragic incident prompted visit from high-profile politicians, including Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Union ministers Hardeep Puri and Harsh Vardhan, Lok Sabha MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma, Delhi Industry Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari and BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa to the LNJP Hospital.

Almost all the deceased were migrant labourers hailing from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Police and fire department officials said many of the fatalities occurred due to suffocation as the people were sleeping when the fire started at around 5 am on the second floor of the building that did not have fire safety clearance and was packed with combustible material like card boards.

It took over 150 firefighters nearly five hours to douse the blaze. As many as 63 people were pulled out from the building. While 43, including one minor, died, 16 were injured. Two fire department personnel were hurt while carrying out rescue work, officials said.

Lok Sabha MP Verma demanded that a "high-level inquiry should be done in 48 hours and tell us what were the lapses, and the people responsible for it."