Fire breaks out in southeast Delhi restaurant; elderly woman rescued from adjoining building

A 70-year-old woman was rescued from an adjoining building after a fire broke out at a restaurant in southeast Delhi’s Kalkaji area early Sunday, the Delhi Fire Service said.

The woman, identified as Sita Devi, was evacuated by the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) personnel from the second floor of an adjoining building during the firefighting operation. She is stated to be stable, they said.

According to the DFS, a call regarding the fire at the ‘Punjabi Tadka’ restaurant, located near the Kalkaji-Govindpuri flyover, was received at 4.45 am.

“The fire involved a building comprising a basement, ground floor and three upper floors, along with a temporary structure on the terrace of the third floor. During the incident, three commercial LPG cylinders exploded, further intensifying the blaze,” the officer said.

A total of nine fire tenders were pressed into service. The fire was brought under control at around 5.40. Firefighters also carried out a search and rescue operation in nearby structures as a precautionary measure, during which Sita Devi was rescued from the adjoining building.

No casualties were reported in the incident.

Cooling operations were continuing at the site, they said, adding the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.