Delhi hospital fire: ‘License expired, no fire extinguishers…’, cops find 5 major lapses that led to blaze killing 7 newborns | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Sunday said that they found major lapses that led to the death of 7 children in a fire at a hospital in Vivek Vihar. The police said that the license issued to the hospital had expired on March 31, and it allowed for 5 only beds as opposed to the 12 that were found at the time of the incident. They also added that there were no fire extinguishers installed at the hospital.
Here’s what the police said:

Earlier on Sunday, Delhi Police said that they had arrested the owner of children’s hospital, Naveen Kichi.
According to Delhi Fire Services officials, the blaze started at the Baby Care New Born Hospital in Vivek Vihar around 11.30pm on Saturday and quickly spread to two neighboring buildings. Although twelve newborns were successfully rescued from the facility, tragically, seven of them succumbed to the fire.
“Several people had gathered at the spot and were recording videos of the fire. Many of them even came close to those trying to douse the flames,” news agency PTI quoted a senior Delhi Fire Services official as saying.
The two-storey building housing the hospital was equipped with oxygen cylinders, which exploded due to the intense heat, causing damage to the adjacent structures.
Delhi govt orders magisterial inquiry
Divisional Commissioner Ashwani Kumar in an order issued on Sunday, directed the district magistrate of the Shahdara district to inquire into the fire tragedy that happened on Saturday night.
“And whereas it is essential to cause a magisterial inquiry into the aforesaid incident. Now therefore, District Magistrate (Shahadra)/Chairman, District Disaster Management Authority is hereby directed to inquire into the said fire tragedy so as: To ascertain the circumstances that led to the fire tragedy.
“To fix the responsibility on the persons responsible for the said incident. To suggest the measures to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future,” it said.
(With inputs from agencies)