Six firemen died during rescue operations since 2016: DFS

Hours after a fireman was killed at a battery warehouse after it caught fire and the structure collapsed, following an explosion, Delhi Fire Service on Thursday asserted that since 2016, as many as six firemen have died in rescue operations.

New Delhi: Hours after a fireman died when a battery factory collapsed in Peera Garhi here following an explosion, the Delhi Fire Service on Thursday said six firefighters have lost their lives during rescue operations since 2016.

The year 2020 began on a tragic note for the Delhi Fire Service as they lost its fireman 28-year-old Amit Kumar Balyan, who was buried under the debris for almost six hours before being rescued and rushed to a hospital where he died.

"Despite losing one of their colleagues, our firefighters continued to attend to other fire incidents in the national capital and saving people's lives. They have not lost heart and I feel proud to lead such a team," Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg said.

There were no deaths in 2018 and 2019, according to data shared by the DFS.

In 2016, two firemen were killed during a rescue operation at a three-storey plastic factory in Narela Industrial area.

A fire had broken out in the factory and during the rescue operation, a boiler in the building exploded trapping four people, including two firemen. The bodies of two firemen Manjeet Singh and Sunil Kumar were recovered more than 66 hours after they were trapped.

A major fire broke out at a restaurant in Vikaspuri following a cylinder blast in March 2017, killing two firemen and injuring their two colleagues.

The fire broke out due to the blast and other firemen took around an hour to douse the flames.

Less than three months after this incident, another fireman, 51-year-old Vijender Pal, lost his life while trying to douse a fire at an electric heater manufacturing factory in Anand Parbat Industrial Area in central Delhi.

In December last year, two firefighters had sustained injuries during the rescue operations in Anaj Mandi blaze, which killed 45 people.

The Anaj Mandi blaze had claimed 45 lives, making it the most severe fire incident in the national capital after the Uphaar Cinema tragedy in which 59 people had died and over were 100 injured in June 1997.

The Delhi Fire Service handles almost 70 calls on a daily basis. During Diwali time and even during summers, the number of calls they attend to on a daily basis rises up to 250.

Apart from firefighting operations, Delhi Fire Service personnel also handle calls related to bird rescue and is also involved in rescue operations in other disasters also.