A toddler was thrown from a first-floor window in Maujpur on Tuesday night, and the people standing below caught him. The child was among those who escaped a fire at Udham Fish Point, a restaurant in northeast Delhi. When a fire started in a Maujpur restaurant at 10.34 pm on Tuesday, the nearest way out for many of those inside was a window.
A woman was also seen jumping onto the terrace of a nearby building. Another video shows women and children jumping from the roof. They arranged bedsheets and mattresses to cushion the falls from the first floor. The restaurant staff put out the fire before it could spread, and a fire tender also reached the spot. The incident has raised questions about fire safety in restaurants. After the videos spread online, Shahdara North Zone Chairperson Pankaj Luthra ordered immediate action against restaurants in the area that operate in violation of regulations. He added that public safety is paramount in any commercial establishment, and that a lack of safe exit routes can turn a minor incident into a major disaster. With inputs from Ravi Dalmia
More than 10 people, men and women, jumped from the restaurant’s windows.
Residents told news agency PTI that many people rushed to the spot to help. One local resident told the news agency that the flames engulfed the building soon after the fire began, which caused panic among those inside. It started in the restaurant’s kitchen on the ground floor of a four-storey building, according to a fire department report. Police said further enquiry was underway. Luthra said such incidents cannot be taken lightly, and directed that inspections be carried out on restaurants that do not follow the prescribed rules and safety standards. Any establishment found violating regulations will face action under the law, he said. Negligence at any level will not be tolerated, he said.
