A firefighter was killed after a battery warehouse in India caught fire and exploded early Thursday, collapsing the building. Two other firefighters and a worker were rescued from the warehouse, and the incident injured 14 people.
Delhi firefighters responded to a call at around 4:30 a.m. from the warehouse in the city’s Peera Garhi area, NDTV reports. At around 9 a.m., an overheated battery is believed to have caused an explosion that tore through the back of the warehouse, collapsing the building.
Initially, only seven engines were sent to the fire, but 35 eventually were needed to handle the incident, as well as a team from the National Disaster Response Force. The batteries also created toxic fumes, forcing crews to approach the blaze with extreme caution.
Firefighter Amit Balyan, who was posted to the Kirti Nagar branch of the Department of Delhi Fire Services, died in the incident, according to NDTV. His body was recovered under the warehouse’s wreckage five to six hours into the response.
“It is with deep sadness I inform you that one of our firemen was martyred while saving people from fire. Our firemen save other people’s lives by putting their lives under extremely risk in difficult circumstances. May his soul rest in peace,” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote on Twitter.
