Two suffocate to death in fire at furniture godown in Delhi

New Delhi: Two people died of suffocation after a massive fire broke out in a furniture godown in west Delhi's Kirti Nagar area in the early hours of Sunday, officials said.

The two were sleeping in a room on the godown's terrace, where the fire started, they said.

"A call regarding the fire in the furniture godown was received around 4.25 am on Sunday and six fire tenders were rushed to the spot. Two people were rescued and rushed to a nearby hospital," a Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official said.

The fire broke out on the terrace of the building, police said.

"The premises were checked thoroughly and a room on the terrace was found locked from inside. Teams broke open the door and found two people inside. They were rushed to a hospital, where they were declared dead," a police statement said.

The two men, Atul Rai (45), a labourer, and Nand Kishor (65), a rickshaw puller, were declared dead at the hospital. Rai worked at the godown and also slept there. Prima facie, they died of suffocation, it said.

The forensics team has been called in to ascertain the cause of the fire. Legal action will be initiated accordingly, police said.