No fire clearance, exits at Delhi shoe factory where blaze killed 4 blocked; 2 held

No fire clearance certificate, inadequate ventilation measures, and blocked escape routes, including the staircase to terrace, were among the alleged violations observed after a fire broke out at a factory in Northwest Delhi’s Mangolpuri Industrial Area Phase-1 on Friday, leading to four deaths, said officials.

Around 9:30 pm, Vikas, 22, a worker, was having dinner with his colleagues on the first floor of the shoe factory. When the blaze broke out around 9:32 pm in the basement, they allegedly realised that the main exit of the four-storey building was locked and ran in panic towards the terrace, trying to escape the blinding smoke. Even as the building, which had been allegedly operational for nearly 30 years, has four gates, all of them were allegedly locked — with iron sheets placed on top — at the time of the incident.

“The gate was right there, but we couldn’t get out. The guard must have locked the door and left,” Vikas, who was admitted to the emergency ward at Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital on Saturday, told The Indian Express, adding, “We tried everything to escape. I stuffed cloth in my mouth and poured water on it to protect myself from choking.”
After rescue operations, Vikas and another factory worker, Harinder, now admitted to the ICU of Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, survived. But four of their co-workers died. The four deceased have been identified as Ashok (25), Harihar (40), Lal Babu (38) and Prem Chand (50).

Expressing grief, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta stated, “The loss of lives in the unfortunate fire incident is extremely painful. My deepest condolences are with the bereaved families.”

On Saturday, the Delhi Police registered a case of culpable homicide and arrested two men in connection with the incident.

One of them has been identified as Ashok, 47, the building supervisor. Suresh Chand, 76, a resident of Pitampura, the other accused, is the father of factory owners who have been summoned by police but are yet to be traced.

Head Constable Upesh was among the first responders on Friday night who observed fumes emanating from the factory during the night patrol. He said he made a PCR call and informed the Fire department.

Story continues below this ad

On blocked escape routes, a fire official said, “The workers who were trapped ran towards the terrace. But the staircase too was blocked with material.”

“The windows, including those fitted with glass panes, were also sealed with iron grills. There was inadequate ventilation in the building. Even the openings for the exhaust fans were sealed.The smoke could not escape,” another official said. Officials also said that work was being carried out in the basement, allegedly in violation of regulations. Prime facie, officers said, a short circuit may have caused fire.

MCD officials have stated that the area in which the building is located is administered by the DSIIDC “Under ease of doing business, the Factory Licensing department has not inspected premises licence issued in 2024 and NOC from Delhi Pollution Control Committee. Reasons for the fire in the initial probe have been negligence by labour,” an official said.