Fire erupts at Vishal Mega Mart in Delhi’s Karol Bagh, man found dead inside lift: Key things to know

A massive fire engulfed a Vishal Mega Mart store in Delhi's Karol Bagh area on Friday, leaving one person dead, police confirmed on Saturday.

Firefighting operations are underway as fire tenders reached the spot after receiving an alert about the blaze, police said.

Here is what we know about the Vishal Mega Mart fire in Delhi's Karol Bagh:

• A 25-year-old man was found dead inside a lift after the fire broke out at a Vishal Mega Mart showroom in central Delhi's Karol Bagh area, police said on Saturday.
• The deceased has been identified as Kumar Dhirender Pratap. His body was discovered “trapped” in a lift during a search and rescue operation that was jointly carried out by police, fire, and disaster response teams.

• Pratap was brought to the hospital right after his body was discovered, but was declared dead upon arrival. According to a report by ABP Live, several people were inside the showroom when the fire broke out but swift evacuation process saved most of them, except for Pratap.
• The fire was reported around 6.44 pm on Friday from the second floor of the four-storey building located on Padam Singh Road, the Delhi Police said in a statement. "This is a Vishal Mega Mart outlet where grocery and fabric items are sold. The fire was confined mainly to the second floor," the statement added.

• A total of 13 fire tenders worked to douse the flames. Efforts are on to douse the flames. Thick plumes of smoke were seen as the fire broke out, sparling chaos and panic in the crowded market area.
• Statement from ADO Delhi Fire service Ravi Nath: “The call was recieved last evening at 6:44 pm, informing us of a fire at Vishal Mega Mart. Our team arrived on the scene shortly after. Upon arrival, they observed that the fire had intensified, so the call was upgraded from medium to a higher category. Later, during a night search around 2 am, one casualty was found. The fire is now under control, and cooling efforts are ongoing. The body was found inside the elevator. This building has ground plus three floors, and there was a fire on every floor. The reason for the larger fire is that the entire facility is filled with grocery items, clothes, and many burning objects. Search work is ongoing. After the fire, the following steps will be announced. The investigation will reveal the cause of the fire, what happened, and why the fire system failed.”
• A video of the rescue operations shows firefighters at work to douse the blaze, with several vehicles of the Delhi fire service still trying to put it out completely even after over 12 hours. The focus remains on the second floor, from where the fire was reported. Till now, the blaze remains only partially controlled.
• The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, officials said. An FIR has been registered at Karol Bagh PS, and an investigation has been taken up the case. Authorities are yet to ascertain when the fire will be doused, leaving residents and business owners in panic.