UPDATE: Delhi Palam Fire Tragedy Claims 9 Lives From a Single Family; PM Modi Expresses Condolences

Fire Incident Kills 9 Including 3 Children in Delhi’s Palam, PM Announces ₹2 Lakh Relief

New Delhi / Tarai 24 National Desk, March 18, 2026 — What began as a massive morning emergency in Delhi’s Palam area has turned into a devastating tragedy. Authorities have confirmed that nine members of a single family, including a 70-year-old woman and three young children, were killed after a horrific fire tore through their multi-storey residential and commercial building on Wednesday morning.

Three others sustained severe injuries after desperately jumping from the upper floors to escape the rapidly advancing flames.

A Family Wiped Out

The building, located at Ram Chowk Market near the Palam Metro Station, housed a cloth and cosmetics showroom across its basement, ground, and first floors. The owner of the building, Rajender Kashyap, lived with his large extended family on the second and third floors.

According to police officials, the deceased include Rajender’s 70-year-old wife Lado, their sons Pravesh (33) and Kamal (39), Kamal’s wife Ashu (35), and their three young daughters aged 15, six, and just three years old. Lado’s daughter Himanshi (22) and daughter-in-law Deepika (28) also perished in the blaze. Rajender Kashyap himself survived as he was out of town in Goa at the time of the incident.

In a heartbreaking attempt to survive, another son, Anil (32), dropped his two-year-old daughter from the third floor to the second floor where a ladder was accessible, before jumping himself. Another family member, Sachin (29), jumped to an adjacent building. All three survivors sustained injuries and are currently undergoing treatment at Safdarjung Hospital.

Highly Flammable Cosmetics Fueled the Inferno

Eyewitnesses and neighbors reported that the fire initially broke out around 6:15 AM. While the exact cause is still under forensic investigation, locals suspect a short circuit on the ground floor.

The fire spread with terrifying speed, exacerbated by the large quantities of highly flammable perfumes and beauty products stored in the ground-floor cosmetics shop. Plumes of thick, toxic black smoke filled the tightly packed building, which reportedly lacked proper ventilation, trapping the family upstairs.

It took a massive joint operation involving 30 fire tenders, the NDRF, police, and BSES personnel several hours to navigate the congested lanes and completely douse the flames by 2:20 PM.

PM Modi Expresses Grief, Announces Ex-Gratia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep sorrow over the tragic loss of lives in the capital.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Prime Minister’s Office stated: “The fire incident in Palam, Delhi, is saddening. I extend my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest.”

The Prime Minister officially announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the next of kin of each deceased victim. Additionally, ₹50,000 will be provided to those injured in the devastating incident.

Editor’s Note: This is an updated version of the story published earlier today regarding the massive emergency response in Palam. Tarai 24 will continue to monitor the ongoing forensic investigation.