A 31-year-old Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official, who sustained burn injuries in line of duty, succumbed on Wednesday at a hospital in Delhi where he was undergoing treatment.
The deceased has been identified as Praveen Kumar, a resident of Pakasma village in Rohtak district of Haryana, was posted at DSIIDC Narela (Bhorgarh) fire station.
Kumar was injured during a fire-fighting operation at a factory in outer Delhi’s Narela. He had joined the Delhi Fire Service after completion of basic training on June 10, 2019.
Kumar was remembered as an excellent and brave fire fighter by the fire department officials.”He possessed “extraordinary daredevil spirit” towards saving life and property of citizens. On October 9, Kumar along with three other firemen were injured after a building collapsed due to an explosion during a firefighting operation,” said a senior DFS official. According to the fire department, an incident of fire was reported at a factory in outer Delhi’s Narela Industrial area around 7.15 am that day.
A total of 33 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire was started in paper plates and other items that were being manufactured there on the first floor of the building.
“Our fire-fighting team made tremendous efforts to stop the spread of fire and succeeded in controlling the same.
“But during the operation, there was an explosion and the rear portion of the building collapsed,” Delhi Fire Services Director Atul Garg said.
“As a result, a fireman got hurt in his leg while three others, including Kumar, Manjeet and Vijender Singh, received severe burn injuries,” he said.
The injured firemen were initially taken to Gangaram hospital for treatment but were later shifted to LNJP hospital for further treatment.
Kumar was declared dead due to heart failure by the doctors at around 9.11 am on Wednesday, he said.
Firemen Manjeet and Singh are still under treatment and are recovering well, while the fourth fireman who got hurt in his leg was discharged the same day, he added.
The factory, which had a basement, a ground floor and two floors, didn’t have an NOC (Non-Objection Certificate), according to the Fire Department.
