Tragic Blaze Devastates Joint Family Home, Leaves Multiple Dead as Survivors Recount Horror
In a heart-wrenching incident, a devastating fire tore through a four-storey residential building housing an extended family of 18 members belonging to Rajender Kashyap in Delhi’s Palam area.
Out of the entire household, only six individuals managed to make it out alive on Wednesday.
Among the survivors were Rajender himself, his son Sunil, Sunil’s wife and their two children, as well as his daughter-in-law Kavita, who is married to his other son, Pravesh.
It was revealed that Sunil, along with his wife and children, had travelled out of town for a short vacation two to three days before the incident, which ultimately proved to be a life-saving coincidence.
A family acquaintance shared that Rajender’s eldest son, Kamal, had also been away from the city but had returned home just the night before the tragedy, on Tuesday.
Tragically, Kamal, his wife Ashu, and their three daughters—Niharika, Jessica, and Ivani, aged between 3 and 16 years—lost their lives in the inferno.
Rajender Kashyap has five sons—Kamal, Sunil, Pravesh, Anil, and Sachin—and one daughter, Himanshi. Among them, Sachin, who sustained burn injuries in the incident, and Himanshi, who succumbed to the fire, were unmarried.
While Sunil is employed with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the remaining sons were engaged in managing the family’s business operations.
Sources indicated that Rajender is an active supporter of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and has been involved in its outreach activities not only within Delhi but also in other regions.
At the time the fire broke out, he was in Goa for party-related engagements and returned to Delhi later that afternoon.
He is also known to maintain an Instagram profile where he frequently shares updates about political campaigns and community initiatives.
In addition to his political involvement, Rajender serves as the president of the Ram Chowk Main Market Association—a position he secured in elections held two months ago. Neighbours mentioned that this was his second consecutive term in the role.
Eyewitnesses described chilling scenes as trapped family members cried out for help from balconies while the fire rapidly spread through the structure.
One of the earliest responders, Yogesh, reached the location at around 6:50 am. “We saw Pravesh and Kamal shouting for help from the third floor.
We tried to enter the building while firefighters were attempting to control the flames.
We even broke through a wall, but the fire had engulfed cosmetics stored on the ground floor, making entry impossible.
Later, we attempted to access the terrace through a neighbouring building, but even the solar panels there had caught fire,” he recounted.
Yogesh further described witnessing the youngest brother, Sachin, leap from the third floor in desperation. “His face was severely burned. I handed him over to others for assistance and continued searching for the remaining family members,” he said.
According to Yogesh, amid the chaos, another brother, Anil, appeared on the balcony holding his two-year-old daughter wrapped in his shirt. “He threw the child down in an attempt to save her. A firefighter tried to catch her, but she slipped from his grip.
Fortunately, she survived the fall,” Yogesh said, adding that Anil jumped shortly afterwards.
Pravesh, after whom the family’s store is named, was among the first to reach the balcony and call out for rescue. His father-in-law, Rajveer, said he arrived at the scene around 8 am.
“By the time I reached, authorities had already begun retrieving bodies. My daughter Kavita had been staying with me in Najafgarh for the past few days. She had married Pravesh around three years ago,” he shared.
The tragic incident has left the community in deep shock, with survivors and witnesses still grappling with the scale of loss and devastation caused by the fire.
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