At least nine people, including three children, died after a massive fire broke out in a multi-storey residential building in southwest Delhi’s Palam area on Wednesday morning, as per the Delhi Police. Two people jumped from the building in a bid to escape the flames and were injured and admitted to a hospital.

According to the Delhi Fire Department, a distress call was received around 7 am reporting a blaze at a residence located on lane number 2 near the Palam Metro Station. Following the alert, at least 30 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames and rescue people who may be trapped inside. “Information was received about a fire in a residential unit, and we feared some people might be trapped inside. Rescue operations were launched immediately,” a DFS officer said.

The second and third floors of the five-storey building were residential units.

Visuals from the scene showed thick plumes of black smoke billowing out of the building and rising into the sky, as flames engulfed portions of the structure.

At least 18 people were trapped inside a residential building in the morning. In a desperate bid to escape, some residents reportedly jumped from the upper floors to save their lives, while many others remained trapped due to the intense flames and smoke.

The blaze broke out in a four-storey structure near the area, which houses a cosmetics shop on the ground floor.