Fire at Delhi e-rickshaw hub kills two

Two people died after a fire broke out at an e-rickshaw charging station at a house in northeast Delhi's Dilshad Garden area, an official said on Monday.

Police said the fire occurred on the ground floor of a house in Gali Shamshan Wali, where e-rickshaws were being charged. The blaze is suspected to have been triggered by a short circuit.

"Two persons were found dead at the scene. They have been identified as Shashi (25), who lived in the house, and Ballu (55), a vagabond who was present at the time of the incident," a senior police officer said.

Police said Shashi lived in the house with his parents and three brothers. A woman, identified as Meera Devi, was also rescued by local beat staff.

Two e-rickshaws were gutted in the incident.

The bodies of the deceased have been sent for postmortem to ascertain the exact cause of death.

The Crime Team and Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) personnel visited the spot, and a case under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita has been registered at Nand Nagri police station.

According to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), a fire call was received at 11.32 pm from Tahirpur's Kodi Colony, following which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The fire was brought under control, and a cooling operation was carried out to prevent any re-ignition, an official said.

Earlier, in May, two teenagers were charred to death, while four suffered injuries in a blaze that broke out at an e-rickshaw charging and parking station in the Ram Nagar area of Delhi's Shahdara.

Further, six people of a family, including two children, sustained burns and severe inhalation problems after an e-rickshaw which was on charge at an illegal charging station caught fire in Delhi's Shahdara.

Meanwhile, police said that action will be taken against illegal e-rickshaw charging stations in the national capital, which cause an estimated loss of around Rs 120 crore annually besides posing safety risks.

"We are noticing many such incidents in the city in the last month. Such illegal e-rickshaw charging stations are posing a threat to lives. We have asked all officials to collect the data of the illegal charging stations in their districts and to make an action plan against them," a senior police officer said.