A 64-year-old YouTube content creator was found dead after a fire and suspected cylinder blast at a rented house in west Delhi’s Tilak Nagar early Saturday, with the blaze also damaging nearby homes, police said.
The incident occurred in Old Shahpura after a PCR call was received at around 3.25am reporting a fire and cylinder blast. The fire department sent four tenders to the location, and the fire was later brought under control. A severely burnt body was found inside the premises.
The deceased was identified as Vijay, who had lived alone in the house as a tenant for the past five years. Police said he was a divorcee and created and uploaded vlogs on YouTube. According to the police, he had allegedly shared a suicide note on WhatsApp and uploaded a video in which he said it was his last video.
Residents described hearing a loud blast during the night. Local resident Arjun Singh told media that the sound was like an earthquake and said the fire affected nearby homes. Another resident, Ankit, said people initially thought an electric pole or air-conditioning unit had caught fire before a second blast prompted them to flee.
Preliminary information from the fire department indicated that the fire appeared to have started after a cylinder blast. Police have called a forensic team to examine the scene and determine the exact cause of the incident. The body has been preserved at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for a post-mortem examination, while further investigation is in progress.
