‘No emergency door, staircase’: Behind the fire at women’s PG in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar

A major fire broke out at a paying guest accommodation in Mukherjee Nagar, popular for its UPSC coaching centres, on Wednesday evening. It was the second such incident of a fire breakout in the area within a span of four months.

The incident took place at Student Choice PG in Mukherjee Nagar’s N Block. The fire began on the ground floor of the four-storey building, and soon the flames rose up to the fourth floor. While there were at least 35 women in the building at the time of the incident, no casualties were reported.

The PG accommodation did not have any emergency doors or staircase, said Delhi Fire Service officer MK Chattopadhyay. The women in the building were rescued by connecting a ladder between the building’s rooftop and another adjacent house.

The official said the flames were so high that at least six students had to be admitted to a nearby hospital due to the suffocation caused by the smoke.

Locals accused the PG owner of running a commercial unit in the residential complex, while students pointed out that wooden panels used as walls between rooms aggravated the fire.

In June this year, another severe fire incident was reported at Sanskriti IAS Coaching Centre of Mukherjee Nagar, which left several students seriously injured.

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