A 37-year-old man died of suffocation and his live-in partner, a French national, was admitted to hospital after a fire erupted at his house in South Delhi’s Hauz Khas Village early on Wednesday morni
A 37-year-old man died of suffocation and his live-in partner, a French national, was admitted to hospital after a fire erupted at his house in South Delhi’s Hauz Khas Village early on Wednesday morning.
The deceased, Gaurav Taneja, lived on the first floor of a house in Hauz Khas Village along with his friend, a 23-year-old French woman called Anklora, for the last one year. Gaurav belonged to Karnal in Haryana and was involved in real estate business in Delhi.
The couple was taken to the Safdarjung Hospital, where Gaurav was declared dead.
Anklora, a second-year student of O.P. Jindal University in Sonepat, was in semi-conscious condition when she was saved from the fire and was initially admitted to the Safdarjung Hospital. She was later shifted to the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital.
The Delhi Fire Service personnel had a tough time reaching the house as it was located in a narrow lane. There was no space for movement of fire tenders in the locality due to encroachments, said officials of the city fire department.
“The fire was reported at 5.45 am by a local. It was brought under control within an hour. Three fire tenders were rushed to the spot, but it took more time to reach the affected building since the lanes of the Hauz Khas Village are quite narrow,” said Atul Garg, chief fire officer, Delhi Fire Service.
The police will record Anklora’s statement to find out the exact cause of fire in the apartment. As per preliminary report, the fire department suspects a short circuit led to fire in the apartment, a senior police official said.
The first floor of the house was rented by Gaurav and Anklora from its owner Liaqat Ali for the last one year. The place was a make-shift accommodation, said the official. Hauz Khas Village, known for its numerous restaurants, faces a constant danger of fire as most of these places do not have a non-objection certificate from the Delhi Fire Service.
According to the rules, restaurants with less than 50 covers don’t require a no-objection certificate from the fire department. Only three restaurants in the area have fire clearances, they added.
