Shri Amit Balyan was rescued after five hours of operation at gutted factory. He is survived by his wife, who he married six months ago, and three sisters and father and mother.
A firefighter was killed and 14 others injured when a battery factory collapsed in northwest Delhi’s Peera Garhi following an explosion due to a fire that broke out early on Thursday morning, officials said. As many as 18 people were rescued from the building, including two caretakers and a security guard, they added.
The deceased firefighter has been identified as Amit Balyan (20), who was admitted to Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute. Balyan was rescued after five hours of operation at gutted factory. He is survived by his wife, whom he had married six months ago, and three sisters and father and mother.
Balyan’s father also works in the Delhi Police. Balyan had joined the fire department in September last year.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal condoled his death and tweeted: “It is with deep sadness I inform you that one of our firemen was martyred while saving people from fire. Our firemen save other people’s lives by putting their lives under extremely risk in difficult circumstances. May his soul rest in peace.”
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal also condoled the death of the firefighter.
“Deeply anguished over news of death of fire operator Amit Balyan Amit along with his team members fought bravely to save lives of many people. I salute his bravery My sincere condolences to his family members. All possible assistance to be extended to the injured & bereaved family,” he tweeted.
A large portion of the two-storey building collapsed following an explosion when firefighters were dousing the blaze, an official said, adding that fire department had received a call at 4.23 am.
According to fire department officials, the fire has been brought under control but the cooling process is still underway. All the firemen, who were trapped under the debris, have been rescued.
Plumes of smoke billowed out from the building as the fire brigade personnel battled to contain the blaze. An eyewitness said several explosions were heard as the blaze gutted down the building.
Santosh Kumar, who works in a plastic factory nearby, said around 9 am, the back side of the building collapsed. “Two to four persons were trapped still trapped inside the building and were heard screaming for help. The fire personnel rescued them with the help of a ladder. They were alive,” he said.
According to police, eighteen people have been rescued including two caretakers and a security guard. Most of them trapped inside were fire personnel, among them two of them is said to be critical and others are out of danger.
Police said legal action is being taken under appropriate sections of the Indian Penal Code.
Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain also visited the spot and ordered a magisterial enquiry into the matter.
The National Disaster Response Force and civil authorities rushed to the spot to control the situation, an official said, adding that 35 fire tenders were at the spot.
The injured, including a security guard of the factory, were rushed to nearby hospitals, a police officer said.
Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, who visited the fire scene, said he got to know that the condition of a person, some Manjeet Rana, is stated to be critical… The incident is big. Investigation has to be done. The fire took place around 4 am and the fire personnel are still trying to control the fire.
Earlier in the day, Kejriwal said he was monitoring the situation.
“V sad to hear this. Am closely monitoring the situation. Fire personnel trying their best. Praying for the safety of those trapped,” Kejriwal tweeted.
Baijal had also tweeted earlier in the day and said “Deeply saddened over the unfortunate fire incident in Peeragadi. Met the injured. Pray for their speedy recovery. Brave firemen are putting all efforts to douse the fire and rescue people. Directed authorities to provide all possible help on urgent basis
Battling with flames, Indian firefighter Amit Baliyan embraces death.
Amit Baliyan, who was among the fire crew, rushed to the spot when the call of fire came at around 4:23 am in the morning. However, he was not fortunate enough to return. A portion of the building collapsed and he along with other fire fighters got trapped in the debris.
While all others were rescued Amit Amit Baliyan, a resident of Shahdara, could not be saved.
Indian Firefighter Amit Baliyan got married in February 2019 just after he got job in Delhi Fire Services. He was deployed in Paschim Vihar fire station in August after completing his training.
Delhi chief minister granted a Financial assistance of 1 crore to the deceased family.
Amit joined the fire service as a fire operator. He joined the basic fire training at Fire Safety Management Academy on December 10, 2018 and successfully passed out on June 10, 2019.
Delhi factory fire: Why firemen go in blind? – Calls that give half the information
“The message we need to spread is that the public shouldn’t be scared of us while reporting a fire. Whether the structure is legal or not isn’t our priority. Our job is to save lives,” said Delhi Fire Services (DFS) director Atul Garg.
Incorrect information and delayed SOS calls are the main reasons why firefighting operations have been hampered in the recent past, said Delhi Fire Services (DFS) director Atul Garg. Speaking to The Indian Express, Garg spoke about the spate of fire incidents in the last six weeks in the capital, the challenges faced by firemen on the spot, and the urgent need to give basic fire training to the public.
“The message we need to spread is that the public shouldn’t be scared of us while reporting a fire. Whether the structure is legal or not isn’t our priority. Our job is to save lives,” said Garg.
Referring to the factory fire in Anaj Mandi, in which 45 people died in December, he said the early morning call stated it was a “fire inside a house,” due to which “two fire tenders needed to deal with a house fire were sent at first.” It was only after the situation was gauged by firemen on spot that more tenders were rushed in. Garg said, “We had no idea it was a factory or that there were people inside.”
At the same time, on December 26, at least 40 people had a narrow escape when the godown of a building in East Delhi’s Krishna Nagar caught fire. Within two hours, DFS rescued all 40 people. Garg said, “We got correct information that it was a building with a godown and there were people inside. A different firefighting technique, that focussed on rescue, was applied.”
Garg said if it’s a fire in a house, fewer tenders are sent and focus is on the rescue. If the fire is in a residential building with a godwon then more tenders are deployed, and if it’s a factory fire, even more men and tenders are sent to ensure the fire doesn’t spread and that rescue can happen at the same time.
In the Krishna Nagar case, Garg said that since there was information about people on the top floor, one fire tender doused the flames outside and the other splashed water on steps the firemen used to go up and down. “With the right information, we can apply the right technique.”
DFS is also starting a “fire cell,” with three firefighters to train school students in fire safety techniques. “We have written to the Director of Education to share with us contact details of all principals, so we can start by sharing short films and info-graphics on fire safety that they can share with the students. We will hold workshops at schools to tell them to look for signs of fire safety in public spaces such as restaurants and banquets,” said Garg.
He said the plan came into being after repeated workshops in apartment complexes gave poor results with very few residents showing up. Garg said, “Children have a better grasping power and talk about things they learn at home. They become educators.”