Authorities said the building had both storage and residential use, complicating evacuation efforts as flames spread quickly through multiple floors in the early morning hours.
Firefighters at the site of the Palam building fire in Delhi after the blaze was brought under control. (ANI)
The death toll in the fire at a multi-storey building in Delhi’s Palam area rose to nine on Wednesday, with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta ordering a magisterial probe into the incident.
The fire broke out in a cloth shop in Ram Market in the morning and quickly spread through the building, where both commercial activity and residential spaces were housed.
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Police said information about the blaze was received at around 7.04 am, following which teams rushed to the spot. The building, located at WZ-124A in Ram Chowk Market, had a cloth and cosmetic showroom in the basement, ground and first floors, while the owner’s family lived on the upper floors.
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Several people were rescued and taken to nearby hospitals, but casualties were reported from multiple facilities.
At Manipal Hospital, eight people, including three minor girls aged 15, 6 and 3, were declared dead. The deceased were identified as Pravesh (33), Kamal (39), Ashu (35), Lado (70), and Himanshi (22), along with the three children.
At IGI Hospital, a woman identified as Deepika (around 28) was brought dead, while a man, Anil (around 32), and a two-year-old girl are undergoing treatment.
Another injured person, Sachin (29), was admitted to Safdarjung Hospital with about 25 per cent burn injuries.
A large-scale emergency response was launched, with around 20 fire tenders and 11 ambulances deployed. Teams from the Delhi Fire Service, police, BSES, Air Force Police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were involved in the rescue and firefighting efforts.
The fire has since been brought under control after hours of operation, while cooling and search efforts continued.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said she was “extremely distressed” by the incident and confirmed that a magisterial inquiry has been ordered.
Extremely distressed to learn about the unfortunate fire incident at a multi-story residential building at Palam.
As per the information received, 6 feared dead, few people still trapped inside the building. District Administration, Delhi Fire Service Department & Delhi Police…
— Rekha Gupta (@gupta_rekha) March 18, 2026
District administration, fire services and police teams were engaged in the rescue operation, she said, adding that she was praying for the safety of those affected.
A Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) team has been called to examine the site. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.
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