A devastating fire tore through a residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar early Sunday morning, claiming the lives of nine people and prompting a massive response from 14 fire tenders and over 100 firefighters and police personnel. While some residents were rescued through balconies and by cutting open rear grills, others jumped from upper floors in desperate attempts to save themselves as the fire spread rapidly.
Initial Investigation and Rescue Efforts
Initial probe suggested that the blaze, reported to police around 3:48 am at property B-13, Phase I, may have been triggered by an air-conditioner explosion. It took 4-5 hours to bring the fire under control, and the nine charred bodies were discovered by recovery teams during a subsequent search of the building.
The first victim, identified as Shikha Jain (45), was found on the second floor. Five bodies were recovered from the third floor: Arvind Jain (60), his wife Anita (58), their son Nishank (35), his wife Aanchal (33), and their 1.5-year-old son Akaay. As firefighters moved to the fourth floor, three more bodies were found near the staircase leading to the terrace, which was locked. The deceased were identified as Nitin Jain (50), his wife Shailey (48), and their son Samyak (25).
Survivors and Heroic Escapes
Shikha's daughters Rakshita (22) and Priyal (15) escaped by jumping from the second-floor balcony onto a mattress that a neighbour had placed on the ground. On the second floor, Shikha Jain, a homemaker, lost her life, leaving behind a family that narrowly escaped. Her husband, Naveen Jain (48), a businessman who runs a cardboard factory, survived with serious burn injuries. Their daughters managed to escape in the chaos, along with Shikha's elderly mother and two domestic helps who rushed out as the fire spread.
Family members said Shikha, who is remembered as the anchor of the household, tried to ensure everyone else got out before she could save herself. She initially managed to get out but went back inside to get her mother and then further help her daughters. By the time she could get out, the fire had already exacerbated so much that she could not, said Suresh, a relative.
Heartbreaking Stories of the Victims
The Third Floor Family
Arvind (60), the oldest among the victims, ran a grocery business but had recently stepped back due to his age. Pritesh said the family was deeply religious and had been planning a pilgrimage to Kundalpur in Madhya Pradesh in June. Friends and employees described Nishank as generous and always ready to help. A friend, an architect, recalled speaking to Nishank just the night before about plans for a new house the family hoped to build. That conversation, like so many dreams, now remains unfinished.
Outside the emergency ward at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital, Deepak broke down as relatives tried to console him. Sonali, Deepak's wife and Nishank's sister-in-law, recalled that they had repeatedly been pushing Nishank to join them earlier in Manesar. However, he had instead decided to stay back home and go later.
The Fourth Floor Family
For Nitin Jain (50) and his wife Shailey (48), the upcoming week was supposed to be a celebration of their 27th wedding anniversary. Instead, a fire turned their fourth-floor residence into a site of mourning, claiming the couple and their 25-year-old son, Samyak. Nitin's mother Deepa recalled the plans that now remain unfulfilled. Nitin and Shailey were looking forward to celebrating their anniversary on May 6. We had celebrated their 25th anniversary with a full family gathering at a banquet, and all of us were there, she told TOI, unable to hold back tears. I had spoken to him just a day before he had called to check on me. I was planning to meet him soon. The next thing I heard, at 6 in the morning, was that he had died.
The tragedy unfolded shortly after the family returned home around 1:30 am from a party in Noida. Known well within their community, the family ran a paper business and a restaurant, Indus Flavour, at Cross River Mall in Karkardooma. Shailey, who previously managed a boutique, had joined the restaurant operations to support the family business alongside Samyak. The household had been in high spirits lately, with relatives noting that they had begun planning Samyak's wedding for later this year.
When they found Samyak, he was still holding onto one of them, said Rajesh Jain, Nitin's cousin. It was one of his parents, but the fire had been so intense they were charred beyond recognition. You could not tell who it was. The family is also survived by the couple's younger son, 22-year-old Prasu, who just graduated. The family was very religious, said Nitin's sister-in-law, Aastha. Nitin would go to the Jain temple every day; he would not even start his day without it.
Anuj Jain, a 50-year-old relative, said the family was closely knit and added that the daughters are safe and staying with their maternal grandmother.
