Explosions at illegal factory amplified deadly fire

The massive fire that broke out in a building that housed an illegal paint manufacturing factory in Nehru Enclave near Alipur in outer Delhi on Thursday evening claimed 11 lives, including that of a woman, Delhi Police and Delhi Fire Services officers aware of the matter said on Friday.

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The factory was run by Akhil Jain and the plot was owned by Raj Rani, a resident of Nehru Enclave, police said, adding that nobody present at the factory during the incident survived.

The officers said that the blaze quickly intensified owing to the inflammable material stored inside and outside the factorya single-storey building-before spreading to at least 15 houses and shops within a 50-feet radius. The initial blaze came in contact with around 50 drums of inflammable liquid in the paint factory, subsequently leading to a series of explosions that lasted around half an hour. The officers added that the building with a tin roof, which housed the factory for five years, had collapsed before rescue operations began.

The 11 bodies were charred beyond recognition, they said, adding that 10 of the bodies were found trapped under debris, mostly at the back side of the building, which suggested the fire began on the front and the people tried to escape through the rear of the compound.

A senior fire department officer, who was among the first to reach the spot, said: "A total of 11 charred bodies were recovered, including one on a chair." Police said they identified eight of the victims, including the factory owner's father Ashok Kumar Jain, 62, Ram Surat Singh, 44, Vishal Gaund, 19, Anil Thakur, 46, Pankaj Kumar, 29, and Shumbham Kumar, 19. At least six people were injured in the tragedy, including Jyoti Devi, 42, her daughter Divya Kumari, 20, and Mohit Solanki, 34, who were rescued from another building that caught fire.

Three remained identified, including possibly Rampravesh Kumar whose family turned up to police saying he was one of the workers and had not returned home since yesterday.

A case under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) was registered at the Alipur police station.