Meet the fireman who rescued 11 people trapped in a building in the Delhi fire tragedy

On Sunday, around 43 people lost their lives and 50 were injured in the fire that raged a building in Delhi’s Anaj Mandi area on Jhansi Road. It took the state fire department 150 firefighters and five hours to douse the burning building.

Among the firefighters, fireman Rajesh Shukla risked his life as he entered the burning building and rescued 11 people. These victims were later taken to nearby hospitals, like Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP), RML Hospital, Lady Hardinge Hospital, and Hindu Rao Hospital.

Speaking to PTI, Rajesh said,

"I have handled close to 7,000 fire rescue calls and was a part of the rescue operation during the Hotel Arpit Palace Fire in Karol Bagh and the recent AIIMS hospital fire. This was one of the major fires in terms of the casualties,” reports India Today.

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The building caught fire around 5:22 am, and was later engulfed in thick black smog. Despite this, Rajesh entered the building nearly 12 times just to rescue people, during which he himself was injured and suffered intense headaches due to thick smoke.

A resident of Teetri Toli of Namkum, Jharkhand, Rajesh is an Assistant Division Officer of Old Delhi in the Delhi Fire Department. He has been a member of the department since 2004.

Sixty-three people were rescued from the building at the end of the operation.

According to NDTV, the fireman’s attempt was applauded by the Delhi Home Minister Satyendra Jain, who said,

“Fireman Rajesh Shukla is a real hero. He was the first fireman to enter the fire spot and he saved around 11 lives. He did his job till the end despite his bone injuries. Salute to this brave hero (sic).”

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