Lapses surface in yet another fire tragedy in Delhi's Mangolpuri

The fatal fire at a four-storey shoe manufacturing facility in Mangolpuri Industrial Area Phase-1 on Friday night laid bare a string of safety lapses, with officials flagging blocked exits, obstructed staircases, sealed windows and the absence of a smoke detection system as key causes for the deaths of four workers. With enforcement remaining poor, agencies also traded the blame game, with a series of jurisdictional and policy provisions giving such facilities a free pass.

During a spot check on Saturday, HT found that the building has window spaces that were sealed with iron gates and tiny air outlets blocked by sheets of cardboard.

Police and fire officers who visited the scene of the fire said that five of the six victims were found unconscious in a room on the fourth floor, while the sixth person was found near the staircase on the third floor. Even though the fire was in the basement, all windows and alternative exits were sealed, trapping all workers.

Officers of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said the facility was run in violation of norms, as all rooms and basements were stuffed with a lot of raw material, boxes and machines, leaving no space for ventilation. The windows were also all blocked, and the only two doors of the building would also be shut most of the times.

According to the FIR in the case, lodged on the complaint of 22-year-old Vikas, one of the two survivors in the incident, six people were eating on the first floor of the building when they saw smoke permeate.

He told HT, "I had a 12-hour shift and was eating dinner on the first floor of the factory with the others. We were all going to start work in 10 minutes when the fire started. The smoke was so thick that we couldn't see anything. I was the first to rush to the ground floor, but the main door and the side doors were locked. The door connecting the building to the next building was also locked. We were all panicking."

"We then decided to head back upstairs. I instructed everyone to cover their faces with wet cloth and try to breath. We tried to reach the terrace to escape, but it was too late. I saw others fainting. I even dragged two of them to the fourth floor but then, I also fainted. It was the guard's fault as well. Why did he lock the main doors and leave? Why didn't he call anyone? He could have at least told us," said Vikas.

DFS said the building comprises a basement, ground floor and three floors, as well as a partial structure on the fourth floor. "One person was rescued from the third floor and five persons from a room on the fourth floor; of them, four were declared dead and rest two were admitted to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital," a DFS spokesperson said.

The deceased were identified as Premchand Jha (56), Harihar Chorastiya (45), Ashok Kumar (25) and Lal Babu Chauhan (38). The injured, Vikas and Harinder, are undergoing treatment. Harihar was the contractor while others worked under him.

The police said that an FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to fire), 125 (a)(negligent act that endangers human life), and 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) has been registered against owners and two men were arrested late on Friday.

The FIR, a copy of which was accessed by HT, also mentioned how the workers "often complained" about the cartons and raw material being stuffed in basement which was risky, but the supervisor didn't listen.

Owner Suresh Chand and building supervisor Ashok Yadav have been arrested, while multiple teams are working to apprehend the other two business partners, who are on the run, police said.

A senior police officer, who did not wish to be named, said "We have booked them for negligence as well as culpable homicide as the owners and supervisor had full knowledge that leaving no space in the basement would create issues. Also, sealing windows and leaving no space for ventilation could be a risk but they still went ahead. The smoke also spread to all the floors because of a goods lift in the building. It's shaft carried heavy smoke which trapped people."

Deputy commissioner of police (outer) Vikram Singh said, "Police and fire tender teams immediately reached at the location and started rescue operation. Multiple fire tenders and teams worked for hours to control the fire. While the guard was present outside, he did not inform the police/DFS or anyone nearby. It was our head constable who was on patrolling duty who was the first responder and made calls to everyone."

Head constable Upesh was doing night patrolling when he saw flames coming from a factory. "I thought it was a small fire but then soon realised that men were trapped upstairs and screaming. Everyone else was making a video or taking photos. I saw two men coming near ground floor but the fire was spreading rapidly. I told them to rush upstairs. In the meantime, we managed to open one of the doors of the building. The two men reached terrace, jumped to the adjacent building, reached downstairs and we got them out."

According to DFS officials, the entire basement of the factory was being used to manufacture and store shoes and cartons, leaving virtually no vacant space. Raw materials were also piled up on the staircases, further obstructing movement and escape routes in the event of an emergency.

The building had four exits, but three of them were shut, officials said. The main windows were sealed with iron gate-like structures, while a circular window was also covered with sheets, leaving no alternative escape route. Officials said there was no open pathway inside the premises and the building did not have a smoke detection system.

DFS additional divisional officer Paras Kumar said, "There was a lot of material on the basement leading to heavy smoke. We first tried to enter from the side and then break into the two gates. The fire was controlled in the basement while another team rushed upstairs to look for people on each floor. Since all windows are shut, the firefighters searched on all floors and recovered one person from third floor and five from the fourth floor."

The lapses raise serious questions over fire safety compliance at the industrial unit, particularly given that the factory was operating with a valid licence issued in 2024 and a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), valid until 2039. However, the building did not have a fire NOC.

Officials of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) said that the factory is under the jurisdiction of the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC). Under the government's ease of doing business framework, the factory licensing department had not inspected the premises as the unit possessed a valid licence and DPCC clearance. The preliminary probe has pointed towards negligence by labourers as a possible reason for the fire, officials said, adding that the investigation was still underway.

A DSIIDC official, who did not wish to be named, said, "The road lease is with DDA while the power to grant fire NOC is with Delhi Fire Service and the approval authority for building plan sanction is MCD. The DSIIDC does not have any power to enter any premises or terminate the lease of any property. We only have the power to maintain roads and drains. This was granted to us in 2011."

For instance, in Bawana industrial area, the land lease is with DSIIDC and the department can initiate action against premises flouting rules.

The MCD said a detailed report would be submitted after documentary and field verification. The probe will examine the relevant records and circumstances surrounding the incident.

The Mangolpuri fire comes months after a massive fire broke out at Flourish Stay, a bed-and-breakfast establishment in Hauz Rani on June 3, killing 23 people, including 14 foreign nationals. The establishment, which had permission to operate as a six-room B&B, was allegedly running 31 rooms across multiple floors, a basement and the rooftop. It also lacked a proper fire exit.

A magisterial inquiry later indicted multiple agencies, including the Delhi Police, Municipal Corporation of Delhi, tourism department and BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd, for lapses in licensing, inspections and monitoring. The report found that the illegally expanded establishment continued to operate despite repeated warnings. Delhi Police subsequently filed a 1,500-page chargesheet against the owner and staff members.

In Vivek Vihar, where nine people died in a fire, the magisterial inquiry found that flats had been sold without occupancy certificates and major structural alterations had been made in violation of sanctioned plans. Restricted escape routes, a locked terrace, inadequate ventilation and congested approach lanes aggravated the tragedy. The first fire tender's water supply also ran dry within minutes.

The March 18 Palam fire, which killed nine people, exposed shortcomings in emergency response. The inquiry found that a Delhi Fire Services aerial platform was obstructed by illegal overhead cables and that there was no effective backup arrangement when the equipment failed. It also flagged inadequate training of personnel operating sophisticated equipment and manpower shortages in the fire service.