This story is from April 17, 2019

Delhi wedding venue blaze: How around 100 guests had a lucky escape

Delhi wedding venue blaze: How around 100 guests had a lucky escape
A wedding party could have taken a tragic turn on Tuesday when two tents erected at a DDA park in north-west Delhi’s Pitampura went up in flames
NEW DELHI: A wedding party could have taken a tragic turn on Tuesday when two tents erected at a DDA park in north-west Delhi’s Pitampura went up in flames. The tented venue not only did not have fire clearance, but there were no escape routes for the guests either. Fortunately, the fire started soon after the bride and groom left the place, while the hundred guests or so having dinner were herded to safety before the flaming tents came crashing down.

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Around 25 guests who were trapped were speedily rescued by cops, helped by some local residents. Before firemen arrived at the incident site near the Pitampura TV tower, however, the fire had spread to the adjacent wedding area where it set aflame a Volkswagen and Hyundai i10 cars belonging to the tent house employees.
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The fire started soon after the bride and groom left the place
The fire started around 12.20am when around 100 guests were having dinner. The venue owner, Pawan Seth, claimed that the blaze was triggered by a spark in the generator and had spread rapidly due to the strong wind blowing at the time.
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Around 25 guests who were trapped were speedily rescued by cops
Head constable Ravinder Kumar was one of the first responders to reach the inferno site. “I managed to clear a way out of the tents and helped 20-25 guests out,” he narrated. “Soon, my colleagues joined me and carried some of the guests to the road outside. If it wasn’t for this quick action, there could have been some fatalities.”

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The fire started around 12.20am when around 100 guests were having dinner.
Kumar himself fell unconscious after inhaling the fumes and was admitted to a hospital. After a night’s rest, he reported for duty on Tuesday morning.
Chief fire officer Atul Garg said that 25 fire tenders had finally brought the blaze under control. “The two tents were erected on a green expanse, but had thermocol and plastic items in plenty, helping the fire to spread across the venue. It took us nearly five hours to douse the flames,” said Garg.
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A case of causing damage due to fire has been registered at the local police station
Fire officials added that several cylinders of cooking gas had exploded, delaying operations. They also reported that the tent house had over 100 employees at the venue, none of whom was trained to deal with a fire situation.
A case of causing damage due to fire has been registered at the local police station and an inquiry initiated. There was added controversy when Nitin Gulati, owner of the adjacent tent house that was gutted, claimed sabotage. “This is the second time that such an incident has taken place, and we have registered a police complaint,” he said.
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The owners will be questioned because this is against the norms specified by DDA.
The venue was booked for events through the DDA website. Police said that the tents were semi-permanent in nature, and the owners will be questioned because this is against the norms specified by DDA.
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