New Delhi: Four aspects of Palam Village building fire that killed nine members of a family are being probed by officials conducting a magisterial inquiry as well as the police officials probing the possible lapses. Home minister Ashish Sood, meanwhile, said: “Delhi govt will take exemplary action against those found involved in the lapses.”The response time of firefighters, the malfunctioning of a fire ladder, overall preparedness and how the fire spread so quickly are the angles being probed, officials aware of the matter said. “The details of call records have been sought to establish the exact timeline between when the first distress call was made and when the firefighters reached the spot. Call time and response time are key aspects under scrutiny,” an official said.The regular testing of fire-fighting equipment is done and systems are meant to remain operational round-the-clock so that the personnel can take off on arescue mision immediately after the distress call reaches them. “All equipment is supposed to be ready 24×7,” said an official. The probe is focused on how the fire spread rapidly within four minutes. “The preliminary inputs have suggested that combustible materials were stored on the ground floor which aggravated the blaze,” said another official. “Eyewitnesses have alleged that firefighters took time to begin evacuation. We are probing reports of problems, including whether a hydraulic ladder functioned properly or not. Specific focus is on the matter,” the official said.The officials said that action will be taken against officials of the fire department who are found to be behind the lapses, and the action will include suspension. The magisterial inquiry is being conducted by the South-West district administration
