Delhi fire incident: Firefighter ‘Rajesh Shukla’ hailed as hero for saving 11 people

New Delhi, Dec 08: Rajesh Shukla, a fireman who turned out to be a hero after saving 11 person in the Delhi fire tragedy is being hailed for his display of courage and dedication.

Delhi minister Satyendar Jain tweeted a picture of the brave fireman who managed to save 11 lives from massive blaze.

"Fireman Rajesh Shukla is a real hero, he was the first fireman to entered the fire spot and he saved around 11 lives. He did his job till the end despite of his bone injuries. Salute to this brave hero," Jain said in his tweet.

In one of the worst fire accidents in the city, 43 people were killed after a massive blaze ripped through a four-storey building housing illegal manufacturing units in north Delhi's Anaj Mandi area on Sunday morning, police and fire officials said.

Most of the people working in the units were fast asleep when the fire broke out in the second floor of the building in the early hours and 30 fire tenders were pressed into service, fire officials said.

Initial probe suggested that short circuit triggered the blaze, they said.

Nearly 150 fire personnel carried out the rescue operation and pulled out 63 people from the building.

While 43 labourers died, many others were injured including two fire personnel, fire officials said.

They said none of the units had a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department and the congested area made rescue operations difficult. Firemen had to cut window grills to access the building.

PM Narendra Modi described the incident as "extremely horrific". HE also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who have lost their lives in the Anaj Mandi fire. The prime minister has also approved Rs 50,000 each for those seriously injured in the fire, his office has said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi expressed his deepest condolences to the families of those killed in a massive fire at a factory. "I extend my deepest condolences to the families of those killed and wish for the speedy recovery of those injured," he said.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal described the fire incident in Delhi's Anaj Mandi area as "tragic" and said firemen were doing their best.

The Delhi government ordered a probe into the incident and sought a detailed report within seven days.

An ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each has been announced for the next of kin of those killed and Rs 1 lakh for those injured.