At least 93 people — 23 employees and 70 customers — were in the mall at the time of the incident, said DCP (Central) Nidhin Valsan.
| Photo Credit: file photo
Two men died in a massive fire that broke out inside a shopping mall in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh, the police said on Saturday. The blaze started on the second floor of the four-storey Vishal Mega Mart at 6.44 p.m. on Friday. Thirteen fire tenders and 90 firefighters were rushed to the spot to douse the flames, said DCP (Central) Nidhin Valsan, adding that the blaze was so severe that cooling operations continued until early morning on Saturday.
The officer said a short circuit on the second floor could have caused the fire that later spread to other floors, but a detailed probe to ascertain the cause is under way. He added that there were at least 93 people — 23 employees and 70 customers — in the mall at the time of the incident.
The deceased were identified as Dhirender Pratap, 25, a resident of Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, who was at the mall in search of a job, and Pawan Gautam, 30, a married IT professional and resident of Aligarh in U.P., who was shopping at the mall.
The body of Pratap, who is suspected to have died of asphyxiation, was recovered from a lift.
“The body of the other victim was charred beyond recognition. It was identified by Gautam’s friends who had reached the mall looking for him,” said a senior police officer.
Pratap’s family alleged laxity in the rescue operations. “How come they did not check the lifts for people? They turned off the [mall’s] power supply and left him to die,” alleged his brother, Vikram.
‘Please save me’
Mr. Vikram told The Hindu that his brother had sent him several messages pleading to be rescued. “At 6.51 p.m., he sent a message on WhatsApp about a fire breaking out at the mall he was visiting. Dhirender said he was stuck in a lift and pleaded with me to save him,” he said.
“Saas phul rahi hai, kuch karo (I am out of breath, do something),” read a message.
In response, the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said it had immediately pressed into service the required manpower and fire engines to extinguish the flames and rescue those trapped inside.
“We received the call at 6.44 p.m., shortly after which our team reached the scene. It was difficult to enter the complex because the fire was spreading fast due to combustible items like groceries and clothes. It was around 2 a.m. that a body was found inside a lift,” said DFS Assistant Divisional Officer Ravi Nath. He added that the close proximity of buildings in the Karol Bagh market posed a challenge to firefighting operations. He said this made it difficult for fire tenders to reach the spot, contain the blaze, and prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings.
Case registered
The police have registered a case under relevant sections of the BNS, including those pertaining to negligence. “We are examining if safety protocols such as functional fire exits, extinguishers, and alarms were in place at the time of the fire,” said an officer.
Published – July 06, 2025 12:32 am IST
