A fire broke out early Sunday morning in a four-storey building in the Vivek Vihar area of Shahdara in Delhi, leaving at least 9 people dead. The cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed, but a resident said it may have been triggered by an air conditioner blast.
A resident, Rohit, while speaking to news agency ANI, said, “A blast in the AC triggered the fire… Around 12-15 were rescued. However, 4-5 people are still missing. The fire started at around 03:13 am… Fire tenders arrived at around 3:35 am… Efforts are being made to extinguish the fire.”
#WATCH | Delhi: A resident, Rohit, says, “A blast in the AC triggered the fire… Around 12-15 were rescued. However, 4-5 people are still missing. The fire started at around 03:13 am… Fire tenders arrived at around 3:35 am… Efforts are being made to extinguish the fire…” https://t.co/JXCQ0AMEls pic.twitter.com/RbuRkJEVJS
— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2026
Another resident, Charanjit Singh, said, “More than 10 vehicles (fire tenders) arrived. The fire brigade rescued around 20 people through the balcony… but I think some people from the backside flats were still able to come outside… I think 1 or 2 families are still under the building…”
#WATCH | Delhi: A resident, Charanjit Singh, says, “More than 10 vehicles (fire tenders) arrived. The fire brigade rescued around 20 people through the balcony… but I think some people from the backside flats were still able to come outside… I think 1 or 2 families are still… https://t.co/JXCQ0AMEls pic.twitter.com/j7ScMZ2fVR
— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2026
Fire officials said the blaze spread across household items in at least six flats in the building. During the operation, nine charred bodies were recovered from different locations, one from the first floor, five from the second floor, and three from a locked staircase. The bodies were later handed over to the Delhi Police.
According to the Delhi Police, the fire affected flats on the second, third and fourth floors. Around 10-15 people were rescued, of whom two with minor injuries were taken to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.
A total of 12 fire tenders were deployed at the spot, along with teams from the DDMA, traffic police, and local police.
BJP MLA Sanjay Goel said the fire in the Vivek Vihar building may have been caused by a short circuit, even as there is no official confirmation yet on the exact reason behind the blaze.
Speaking to ANI, Goel said, “This is a very sad incident… The incident happened in the building situated in Block B of Vivek Vihar. There are 8 flats in the building. Because of a short circuit, at around 3:45 am, the fire started and spread to all 4 floors of the building. Because some people were unable to open the lock, they lost their lives…”
#WATCH | Delhi: BJP MLA Sanjay Goel says, “This is a very sad incident… The incident happened in the building situated in Block B of Vivek Vihar. There are 8 flats in the building. Because of a short circuit, at around 3:45 am, the fire started and spread to all 4 floors of the… https://t.co/1FwBNc1RUz pic.twitter.com/AibTgDsA3T
— ANI (@ANI) May 3, 2026
He added, “Bodies are being taken to the mortuary of GTB Hospital for identification. Some bodies have been converted into skeletons… Their identification will be done through DNA sampling. Police have taken photographs of the bodies for their identification… A short circuit is said to be the main cause behind this incident; however, some are saying it happened because of a blast in the AC.”
Local Municipal Councillor Pankaj Luthra said that search and rescue operations are still ongoing. He said the victims were found across multiple floors of the building, and their identification is yet to be established, pending further investigation and DNA testing.
Speaking to ANI, Luthra said, “Upon receiving the information, I rushed to the scene immediately. Upon arrival, I went straight upstairs. I have just come down from the upper floors. On the back side of the second floor, five bodies were found. Another body was found on the back side, and three bodies were located on the top floor. Identification is currently impossible.”
He added that officials are continuing their checks, but the identity and even the gender of the victims cannot be confirmed until DNA tests are completed.
“We are still conducting further checks, but until DNA testing is performed, we will be unable to determine the gender of the victims… A total of nine bodies have been confirmed. We are still checking for others. People are attributing this to a short circuit, but nothing has been officially confirmed yet regarding the exact cause of the incident,” he further said.