Two people, including a 17-year-old boy, died after a fire broke out at a residential building in West Delhi’s Raghubir Nagar early Monday. The blaze is suspected to have started after the battery of an e-rickshaw parked on the ground floor exploded while being charged.
The victims were identified as Sufaid, 17, son of the building owner Mohammad Nasib, and Mohammad Samid, 38, his brother-in-law. Both were taken to Guru Gobind Singh Hospital in Raghubir Nagar, where doctors declared them dead.
Fire breaks out early morning
According to the Delhi Fire Services, the incident was reported at around 4.42 am from a building on Masjid Gurudwara Road in Raghubir Nagar. Three fire tenders were immediately sent to the location.
The building has a ground floor and four upper floors. Fire officials said domestic articles kept on the first floor were gutted in the blaze.
A preliminary assessment indicated that the fire began after an explosion involving the e-rickshaw battery. A police officer said the e-rickshaw was being charged on the ground floor when the battery is suspected to have exploded, triggering the fire that then spread to other parts of the building.
Blaze brought under control
The fire was brought under control at around 5:25 am, when the station officer issued a “stop” message, according to fire officials.
The two victims had already been taken to the hospital before the arrival of the Fire department teams.
The exact circumstances surrounding the battery explosion are part of the preliminary investigation. Officials have so far indicated that the charging e-rickshaw battery was the suspected source of the fire.
The incident comes amid continued concerns over fires involving batteries used in electric vehicles, though officials in this case have only identified the e-rickshaw battery explosion as the preliminary cause.
Police and fire officials are examining the circumstances that led to the blast and the subsequent spread of the fire through the residential building.