Delhi cops talk to 35 people present in GK elderly home that caught fire

NEW DELHI: Around 35 people who were inside the Antara Senior Care Home facility in Greater Kailash II when a fire broke out on January 1 have been questioned and examined by police. Police have also served a notice on the care facility asking it to submit all details and licences.
An official privy to the investigation said 37 people were in the home during the fire.Two of them, 86-year-old Kanchan Arora and 92-year-old Kamal Kumar, died in the blaze. Kumar is the sister-in-law of former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar.
Representatives of the facility earlier said 15 inmates were in the building when the fire broke out, apart from nine staff members who were the first responders. The remaining inmates were moved to another facility of the same group. Police questioned the attendant of Arora, who said she had seen smoke coming from Kamal's room, and by the time she went and alerted people, the blaze had started.
As per preliminary inspection of the location, it appears that some candles were lit in the room. However, police are yet to get the forensic report. The cops are also awaiting the report from the fire and electricity departments.
"We have examined and recorded statements of all the people present then in the facility. We have also issued a notice to the facility to submit their details regarding the required licences. We will check if all norms were being followed. The reports from various agencies, sought to ascertain what led to the fire, are awaited," said an official privy to the investigation.
The facility had said in a statement that four fire brigades reached the spot and managed to bring the blaze under control within 30 minutes, but the cause of the fire was not known. "While all other residents, doctors and team members have been evacuated safely from the facility, two of our residents have unfortunately succumbed to the fire. All other people have been rescued and moved to another facility of ours where they are receiving the necessary medical care," it had added.