Battling choking smoke, searing flames and near-zero visibility, a Delhi Police head constable risked his own life to rescue 13 persons, including 11 visually impaired students, from a burning building in north Delhi’s Burari area in the dead of night earlier this month, officials said on Wednesday.
The incident occurred around 2.30 am on the intervening night of May 16 and 17 at Daroga Market in Burari, where several shops in a building caught fire, they said.
Head Constable Amar Singh, posted at the Burari police station and on night patrol duty at the time, rushed to the spot after receiving information from a local resident.
According to police, flames had engulfed eight shops on the ground floor and rapidly spread to the upper floors, blocking the staircase and trapping residents inside the building.
Singh spotted a man and a woman stranded on the second floor as thick smoke and intense flames had cut off all escape routes, according to a senior police officer.
Without waiting for the fire brigade or additional police staff, the head constable stopped a passing truck, climbed onto its roof, and reached the victims through a balcony, he said.
Despite near-zero visibility and heavy smoke, he carried both victims one by one on his shoulders to safety before collapsing due to smoke inhalation, he added.
During the rescue operation, Singh also learnt that visually impaired students were trapped in an adjoining building, which was at risk of catching fire.
He immediately entered the building and safely evacuated all 11 students through the staircase before the flames could spread, officials said.
Police said the entire rescue operation was carried out single-handedly by the head constable before emergency services reached the spot.
