New Delhi: Two men lost their lives after a fire ripped through a Delhi govt shelter for the homeless in southwest Delhi’s Vasant Vihar early on Monday.Police were alerted about the blaze at Coolie Camp at 3.15am. Four fire tenders, along with 24 firefighters, were scrambled. The blaze could be brought under control at around 5am.The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board facility is operated by Society for the Promotion of Youth and Masses (SPYM), an NGO, senior police officers said.Out of seven inmates who were in the shelter at that time, five were rescued safely, while two — Arjun (19) and Vikas (42) — were taken to hospital, where they were declared dead.A member of the NGO, though, said, “At any given time, 15 to 19 people live in the shelter”. A case under Sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter) and 106 (causing death by negligence) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, has been registered. Arjun, a resident of Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, worked as a sweeper at a hotel. Vikas’s address and occupation are yet to be ascertained. The member of the NGO said, “We refilled a fire extinguisher recently and gave everyone training on how to use it. But the space here is extremely cramped, with a lot of encroachment around. The moment the fire broke out, our caretakers rushed in to rescue the inmates. However, Arjun and Vikas were trapped.” Sources said that the blaze broke out in the kitchen and spread toward the entry gate of the shelter, where the two were sleeping. “Several combustible materials, such as blankets and mattresses, caught fire and helped the blaze spread. The heat was so intense that locks on doors and lockers melted,” the sources said.A viral video of the incident shows the whole shelter on fire. Chaotic scenes can be witnessed, and a woman is heard frantically urging people to use water to douse the fire. In another video, some people are seen trying to desperately remove their belongings.A response from Delhi govt is awaited.
