Cylinder blast kills firefighter in Delhi’s Anand Parbat, four others injured

A firefighter was killed and two of his colleagues suffered burn injuries in a bid to douse the blaze in a four-storey building in central Delhi’s Anand Parbat on Wednesday night.

A heated tin shed on the second floor of the building collapsed on them. “A cylinder blast triggered the collapse,” said Atul Garg, chief fire officer, Delhi Fire Services.

The collapse left 51-year-old fireman Bijender with severe burn injuries. He and his colleagues, station officer Avtar Singh and leading fireman Sunil Kumar, were rescued and rushed to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital where Bijender died during treatment. His colleagues are said to be out of danger.

The blaze also left two locals, Dhananjay and Pandit, with burn injuries. The two civilians, however, were discharged after being given first aid.

The building that caught fire is located in Gali No. 8 of Anand Parbat Industrial Area. The upper floors of the building house an electric heater manufacturing unit.

The call about the blaze was made to the fire department around 10.15 pm on Wednesday. “The caller only said that a factory had caught fire. We do not know what triggered the blaze,” said a fire officer.

When the firefighters entered the burning upper floors of the building, there was a sudden collapse of the tin shed on the second floor which left three of them trapped under the debris. Soon, more than half of the first floor also collapsed.

About one dozen fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was controlled by 12.45 am. The police are investigating the circumstances under which the fire occurred.

In February, two firemen were killed and two others injured when an LPG cylinder exploded during the firefighting operations at a restaurant in west Delhi’s Vikaspuri.