Delhi Police arrest two in connection with Alipur market fire, death toll reaches 11

New Delhi [India], February 17 : Two persons were arrested by Delhi Police in connection with a fire that broke out in the main Dayalpur market at Alipur in the national capital on Thursday, officials said.
As many as 11 residents lost their lives after a fire broke out in a paint factory owned by an Ashok Jain in the Dayalpur Market in Delhi's Alipur.
The police said they arrested 37 year-old Akhil Jain, son of Ashok Jain, the deceased factory owner, and a 57-year-old woman named Rajrani who had leased her land for the factory.
Director of Delhi Fire Services, Atul Garg, informed earlier that there was a blast inside the godown because of which the walls of the building collapsed.
Garg further said the exact reason for the fire was yet to be determined.
"We got a call at 5:25 that there was a fire in a factory. We immediately sent four fire tenders that were nearby and later sent two more. It was a congested area and the fire had broken out at a paint factory. When paint catches fire, it is difficult to douse it. Also, I believe there were some cans of a thinner and, after a blast, the fire spread to some nearby houses and a de-addiction centre in the vicinity," Garg told ANI on Friday.
The director said a team of NDRF are also present at the spot.
"We had the fire under control within a few hours. However, 11 people died, among whom were labourers. They were trapped inside as the building collapsed after the blast.
"Initially, we brought out three people. Last night, as our search operation progressed, eight more bodies were brought out. The NDRF, too, joined the search operation thereafter," he said.