A firefighter suffered burns to his face, hair and both hands after an LPG cylinder exploded during a house fire in northwest Delhi’s Jahangirpuri on Friday, police said. The blaze reportedly began after a 30-year-old man allegedly set fire to his house, prompting a response from the Delhi Fire Services.
The injured firefighter, identified as Ankit, 32, sustained burns assessed at around 25 per cent, according to police. He was first taken to Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital and later referred to the burn ward at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences for further treatment.
The fire broke out at a house where Bharat lived with his mother, Raj Rani. Police said Raj Rani was present at the property when the incident occurred. A preliminary inquiry indicated that Bharat, who police alleged was addicted to alcohol, had set the house on fire. An FIR was being registered against him, police said.
The Delhi Fire Services received information about the blaze at 11.23 am, while police received a PCR call at 11.26 am. Three fire tenders were sent to the location after the incident was reported.
Fire department officials said the blaze involved domestic articles and an LPG cylinder on the ground floor of the three-storey building. The cylinder exploded as the firefighter approached the burning house to douse the flames.
Video footage recorded by an onlooker and circulated after the incident shows the firefighter carrying what appears to be a fire hose while walking towards the entrance of the burning house. The explosion then sends flames and debris into the narrow lane, with thick smoke filling the area. People recording the operation can be heard calling for the injured firefighter to be rescued.
The incident occurred in a tightly built residential setting, where the fire involved a ground-floor dwelling inside a three-storey structure and firefighting operations took place in a narrow lane. The available account does not state whether other residents were injured or whether the building sustained structural damage.
Police said the case against Bharat was being registered in connection with the fire. The injured firefighter was undergoing further treatment at AIIMS, while the circumstances surrounding the alleged setting of the fire remained part of the preliminary inquiry.
