BackWORLD
Staircase blocked, balconies grilled: Residents recount escape during Delhi's Vivek Vihar fire
A massive fire tore through a four-storey residential building in Vivek Vihar, Delhi, in the early hours of May 3, 2026, killing at least nine people including a toddler. The blaze spread rapidly across the second to fourth floors, trapping residents in blocked staircases and smoky balconies, with several accounts describing rescues by fire services including Skylift.
Why It Matters
The incident underscores the dangers of blocked escape routes in crowded housing and the challenges of rapid evacuation during urban fires.
Timeline
8 Events
Fire brought under control after more than five hours
May 3, 2026
Firefighters brought the inferno under control after more than five hours of effort.
Nine people killed, including a toddler
May 3, 2026
The blaze killed at least nine people, including a toddler.
Skylift rescue on the third floor
May 3, 2026
Silky, a third-floor resident, recalled a narrow escape with the help of Skylift; they were brought down as flames reached the drawing room and sofas, saved by approximately five minutes.
Residents rescued by fire department after entrapment
May 3, 2026
Ruchi Arora, a first-floor resident, said they were trapped for about an hour and a half and were rescued by the fire department.
Terrace access blocked; deaths on staircase suspected
May 3, 2026
Ankit Jain, brother of Nitin Jain who died with his wife and son, said they likely ran toward the terrace to save themselves but the terrace was locked; their bodies were later found on the staircase.
First-floor resident escapes after doorbell wake-up
May 3, 2026
Mayanak, a resident of the first floor, said neighbours woke him with frantic doorbell rings and that he escaped as the back portion of the building was on fire.
Staircase blocked and balconies grilled; residents trapped
May 3, 2026
Witnesses said the entire staircase was blocked by the fire, with residents from flats at the back of the building trapped as there was no escape; one balcony was described as blocked by a grill.
Fire breaks out in Vivek Vihar building
May 3, 2026
A fire started in the early hours, reportedly between 3:13 am and 3:47 am, and spread across the second, third and fourth floors of the four-storey residential building in Delhi's Vivek Vihar area.