DFS to begin probe into MP flats’ fire after Deepavali

The Delhi Fire Services on Sunday said a probe into the fire at Brahmaputra Apartment, where several Members of Parliament reside, will start after Deepavali, even as Opposition parties alleged a delayed response and a faulty fire-extinguisher system. At least two persons and a pet dog were injured in the fire that broke out on Saturday afternoon.

“A detailed investigation into the fire’s cause and the damage will happen post-Deepavali,” a DFS official said. Asked about smoke detectors and sprinklers in the building, the official replied, “This can’t be confirmed now, but the fire wouldn’t have occurred if the safety system had been working.”

The official denied any response delay, stating firefighters arrived 18 minutes after the emergency call at 1.22 p.m. on Saturday.

Residents said children bursting firecrackers near discarded furniture caused the blaze. Some also claimed a gas pipeline and cylinder blast fuelled the fire.

Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Saket Gokhale said there are three fire stations near Baba Kharak Singh Marg, where the apartments are located, yet it took “over 25 minutes for the first fire brigade to arrive”.

“Yesterday, there was a massive fire at our building. We witnessed first-hand the dismal state of affairs in Delhi under the BJP government. There are three fire stations within five minutes of the building. I personally called them at 1.22 p.m. and the first fire engine arrived 25 minutes later,” he wrote on X.

Mr. Gokhale alleged that the building’s fire safety system had no water, and the fire alarm was out of order. “Several staff quarters were completely destroyed. The building is administered by the CPWD (Central Public Works Department). For months, a large pile of discarded wood and rubber was left lying around despite repeated complaints from MPs. That very pile caught fire yesterday, and the flames reached up to the seventh floor. Poor staff members have lost everything. Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta must answer for the abysmal state of affairs and the complete failure of emergency services,” he added.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener in a post on X, said, “In just six months, the BJP has ruined everything in Delhi.” AAP Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Singh visited the site on Sunday. “In the BJP regime, inefficiency has reached its peak,” he said.

There was no official reaction from the BJP over the allegations.