‘AC Blast Triggered Fire’: Eyewitnesses Share What Happened Inside Vivek Vihar Building

Hours after a devastating fire killed at least nine people in a four-storey residential building in Delhi's Vivek Vihar, survivors and eyewitnesses have begun piecing together what unfolded inside the smoke-filled structure. Their accounts point to a fast-spreading blaze, confusion among residents, and crucial delays in alerting those trapped inside.

Residents Say Fire Spread Rapidly While People Slept

Eyewitnesses said the fire broke out in the early hours, catching most families off guard as they were asleep. The flames quickly spread across multiple flats, filling corridors and staircases with thick smoke and leaving little room for escape.

Many residents woke up to chaos, with some managing to flee while others struggled to even realise the danger in time.

AC Blast Suspected by Eyewitness

One resident, Rohit, suggested a possible trigger for the blaze, though officials have not confirmed the cause yet.

"A blast in the AC triggered the fire... Around 12-15 were rescued. However, 4-5 people are still missing. The fire started at around 03:13 am... Fire tenders arrived at around 3:35 am... Efforts are being made to extinguish the fire..."

His account highlights how quickly the situation escalated, with rescue teams racing against time to contain the fire.

Ladders Used in Rescue, But Some Could Not Escape

Another resident, Charanjit Singh, described how emergency teams and locals used ladders to pull people out through balconies as flames blocked internal exits.

"More than 10 vehicles (fire tenders) arrived. The fire brigade rescued around 20 people through the balcony... but I think some people from the backside flats were still able to come outside... I think 1 or 2 families are still..."

He also pointed to a critical lapse during the rescue.

"...However, residents of two flats located at the back side of the top floor could not come out. One lapse was that while people from the front-side flats were rescued, they should have alerted others in the building about the fire so that they could have escaped in time," Singh added.

Providing further detail, he said, "The fire broke out in the building at around 3:30 am. It appears that after the fire started, people in the back-side flats remained asleep and could not react. The building has a total of eight flats, and the families living in the two flats on the top floor have not been able to come out and are still believed to be inside."

Victims Trapped in Rear Flats, Chaos Inside Building

Eyewitness accounts consistently indicate that residents in rear-side flats, especially on the top floor, were among the worst affected. Many were unable to escape as the fire spread before they could react.

Several survivors believe that timely alerts across all flats could have reduced casualties. The accounts underline how the fire, which spread through household items in multiple flats, turned deadly within minutes.

Authorities continue their investigation into the cause of the blaze, while identification of victims is being carried out through DNA testing.