New Delhi shoe factory fire kills 4, injures 2: six people pulled unconscious from the building as basement blaze filled upper floors with smoke

NEW DELHI — A fire at a shoe factory in Mangolpuri Industrial Area Phase 1, New Delhi, on the night of October 30 killed four people and injured two. According to police and fire officials speaking to reporters, the blaze started in the factory basement and thick smoke spread to the upper floors. Rescuers pulled six unconscious people from the building and took them all to Sanjay Gandhi Memorial Hospital, where four were declared dead on arrival and two remain under treatment. The identities of the dead have not been officially released.

About 20 fire engines, hours of firefighting, smoke the main obstacle

The fire department was alerted between about 9:31 and 9:50 p.m. and sent about 20 fire engines to the scene; firefighting and search operations lasted several hours before cooling operations began. According to reports, one person was rescued from a third-floor staircase and five others from the fourth floor; stored footwear and raw materials and heavy smoke on the upper floors made the rescue difficult. Central Accident and Trauma Service (CATS) personnel said they transported the six patients to hospital after receiving the call.

Owner summoned, contractor and workers questioned, cause not yet known

Phase-I DCP (Outer District) Vikram Singh told reporters that police have begun legal proceedings, summoned the factory owner, and are questioning the contractor and workers to establish how many workers were inside the factory at the time. According to reports, police have registered a case under the culpable-homicide provision of India's Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Singh stressed that the cause of the fire is still under investigation: so far it is only known that the blaze began in the basement, and responsibility cannot be assigned before the investigation concludes.

Chief minister condoles deaths, orders full treatment and aid

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on social media that the loss of life in the Mangolpuri fire was extremely sorrowful and painful, offered her deepest condolences to the bereaved families, and directed officials to ensure proper treatment for the injured, maximum possible assistance to the affected families, and faster relief operations, adding that the situation is being continuously monitored.

This report is compiled from police and fire department briefings to reporters and multiple Indian media reports; the identities of the dead, the latest condition of the injured and the cause of the fire remain subject to later official updates.