Two firefighters killed in cylinder blast Families mourn dead, say future of children a big worry for them

IN THE LINE OF DUTY The firemen were killed after a gas cylinder blew up in a locked restaurant that was on fire in Vikaspuri

NEW DELHI: Two firefighters from the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) were killed and two of their colleagues were critically injured in a cylinder blast at a restaurant in west Delhi’s Vikaspuri in the early hours of Friday.

The deceased were identified as Hari Om Gahlot (49) and Hari Singh Meena (48). Naveen (32) and Ravinder (33) were injured.

The fire control room received a call around 5.30 am about smoke coming out from Chatkora Food “n” Snacks Corner in H Block, Lal Market in Vikaspuri.

Three fire tenders along with nearly 10 firemen reached the restaurant.

“As the smoke was coming out from the locked restaurant, our firemen started breaking open the shutter. While they were trying to pull the shutter up, a gas cylinder exploded,” said Atul Garg, chief fire officer.

Police said that fireman Gahlot succumbed to his injuries at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital. Fireman Hari Singh Meena was declared brought dead at Park Hospital, Khyala. Naveen and Ravinder, are undergoing treatment at BLK Hospital.

According to Garg, there were four cylinders, two commercial and two domestic, inside. “Prima facie one of them exploded due to gas leak. What actually triggered the blast is a matter of probe. We have formed a team to probe the incident,” he said.

Local shopkeepers said that the restaurant came up in the market over two years ago. Eyewitnesses said that there were four cylinders in front of a fridge inside the restaurant and a short circuit in the fridge could have triggered the blast.

Few locals, who live in houses above their shops, said that they were woken up by the noise of the explosion.

“The sound of the blast was loud and sudden. I panicked, wore my kurta inside out in a hurry and ran out to see what had happened. There were screams all around and firemen everywhere. The eatery was on fire,” said Mohammed Imran (31), who runs a parlour in the market.

A police officer said that the restaurant where the blast took place sold momos and other snacks. “We will find out if the restaurant was running illegally and its owner had compromised with safety and security measures,” said the officer.

Deputy commissioner of police (west) Vijay Kumar said that the fire was doused around 7.36 am. A case under sections 285 (negligent conduct with respect to fire or combustible matter), 286 (negligent conduct with respect to explosive substance), 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) and 304 (A) (causing death by negligence) has been registered.

“A probe will be conducted to establish whose negligence led to the tragedy,” Kumar said.

Fireman Ravinder was the only conscious one among the four injured after the blast. Gahlot, Singh and Naveen were on the ground. Despite being grievously injured, he stood up and tried to resuscitate Naveen. Both were later taken to BLK hospital where Naveen is stated to be critical. H Block, Lal Market

As the smoke was coming out from the locked restaurant, our firemen started to break open the shutter. While they were trying to pull the shutter up, a gas cylinder inside the shop went off.

NEW DELHI: Hari Om Gahlot (49), who was killed in a cylinder blast in Vikaspuri on Friday, had been a firefighter for the past 28 years. He was regarded fearless among his colleagues at Janakpuri Fire Station and was promoted to the rank of havaldar on June 5, 2016.

When a BSF plane crashed in Dwarka in December 2015, killing all 10 onboard, Gahlot singlehandedly took out seven bodies from the wreckage. Few months later, he was nominated for a bravery award for saving an old woman and two children.

Whenever his daughter Ankita (22), a second year BTech student, asked him why he risked his life so much, his reply would always be — “yeh toh meri duty hai (this is my duty)”.

When Gahlot and three other firefighters were blown away due to the impact of the cylinder blast, he landed a few metres away. It was pitch dark and no one realised that Gahlot was lying nearby, bleeding from jaws and in pain due to the burn injuries. A local named Mohammed Imran helped get Gahlot to the PCR van.

Gahlot is survived by his wife Suman (43), Ankita and son Tushar (17), a class 11 student.