The Sakinaka fire that engulfed a scrap godown at Abdu Rashid Compound on Kairani Road on Tuesday evening killed two unidentified people and left six others injured, after the blaze spread across an estimated 60 to 70 commercial galas and adjoining chawls.
The Level-II fire was reported at 6.18 pm and was extinguished at 12.30 am, according to the details reported by the Times of India. The affected premises comprised ground-floor and partially one-floor structures within the compound. The fire spread through the tightly packed commercial and residential setting before firefighters brought it under control.
Two charred bodies were recovered from a stock of aerosol containers inside the premises. The bodies were shifted to Rajawadi Hospital for post-mortem examinations, and their identities had not been established at the time of the report.
Six people sustained burn injuries in the incident. Four injured men were admitted to the trauma ward at Rajawadi Hospital, with the extent of their burns ranging from 10% to 80%. The injured were taken to the hospital by police and private vehicles before fire brigade personnel arrived.
Jahid Abidullah Qureshi, 20, suffered burns covering 40% of his hands, chest and face. Tofik Shadilal Qureshi, also 20, sustained burns covering 80% of his hands, chest, abdomen, legs, neck and face. Lalchand Ramlakhan Gautam, 40, suffered burns covering 10% of his right shoulder and face, while Kamal Jalaluddin Shah, 42, sustained burns covering 40% of his face, chest and both hands.
The reported spread of the blaze across dozens of commercial galas and chawls highlights the immediate operational challenge posed by mixed-use compounds where storage, commercial activity and residential occupation exist within the same built-up cluster. In this case, aerosol containers were among the materials found at the location where the two bodies were recovered.
The incident also left the identities of the deceased unresolved at the time of reporting. Their post-mortem examinations at Rajawadi Hospital are part of the next official process, while the four named injured men remain under treatment for their burn injuries. The Times of India report did not provide details on the cause of the fire or any fire-safety findings.
Authorities will now have to complete the identification of the deceased and establish how the fire began and spread through the compound. Further official findings are expected after the post-mortem examinations and the examination of the affected premises.
