Massive fire at south Delhi Kia showroom leaves seven injured, 15 rescued

New Delhi: A massive fire broke out at a Kia car showroom in south Delhi's Saidulajab area on Friday, gutting several vehicles and leaving seven people injured, while around 15 others were rescued, police said.

Around 12 to 15 people were rescued from the top of the building, while four were rescued from the backside of the showroom, police said, adding that a total of six vehicles were impacted by the fire. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

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The fire has been brought under control and a search operation is underway inside the building to ascertain whether anyone else is trapped or if there are any casualties, Deputy Magistrate Lakshya Singhal told PTI.

"Around 3.45 pm, we received information that a Kia showroom opposite the metro station had caught fire. The fire department, police and other agencies were immediately mobilised. The SDM and the SHO also reached the spot," Singhal said.

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Seven people sustained injuries in the incident, of whom four were admitted to MAX Hospital and three to Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital, he said.

Local residents also helped in the rescue operation, Singhal said.

"As of now, there have been no casualties. The building is being searched to rule out any casualties," he said, adding that teams from the fire department, police, revenue department, Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), ambulance services and CATS were involved in the operation.

Around 12 to 15 people were rescued from the top of the building, while four were rescued from the backside of the showroom, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal said.

Two women, who sustained injuries due to smoke inhalation, were immediately shifted to the hospital and their condition is reported to be stable, he said.

Ten fire tenders were rushed to the spot after the Delhi Fire Services received a call about the blaze. Several teams of the Delhi Police and fire department were deployed to contain the flames.

"The fire has been doused and firefighters and police staff remain present on scene. The situation is completely under control," the DCP said and confirmed that no casualties have been reported so far.

Speaking to PTI, Mehrauli Police Station Head Constable Sunil Kumar Saini said, "When I saw, there was a lot of smoke here. So at first, I couldn't see anything in the smoke. And I went to the side and saw that there was a building next to the KIA showroom. We went to the building's top floor and pulled the rope from below with stairs attached to it. We rescued eight to ten people, including children, women and men."

Another Head Constable, Arun Kumar, said, "When we first came here, there was a fire in the showroom. The showroom staff were on the roof. There were about 15-20 people on the roof."

People were trying to jump from the roof, he said.

"We set up stairs from behind. A broken sofa was lying there. We laid the mattress from it. Two to three people jumped on it. After that, six to seven people were rescued from the stairs. A total of 15-20 people were rescued," he said.

Thick plumes of smoke, visible from a considerable distance, billowed from the showroom. Several cars parked inside the showroom were engulfed in flames as the fire spread across the premises.

The incident also led to a crowd gathering near the showroom, with several passersby stopping to record the blaze on their mobile phones.

A traffic jam-like situation was witnessed on the adjoining road, prompting police personnel to disperse onlookers and facilitate the movement of emergency vehicles.