New Delhi, May 4 -- The residential building in east Delhi's Vivek Vihar, where a fire on Sunday claimed nine lives, is barely a few hundred metres from neonatal hospital fire where nearly two years ago a blaze led to the death of seven babies. It also comes less than two months after a fire at a residential building in Palam Vihar killed nine members of one family.

More than 7,800 fire-related emergencies have been reported across the Capital in the first four months of 2026, with rising summer heat exacerbating fire risks across the city. Most of the incidents highlight the systemic shortcomings in Delhi's fire preparedness and the need to relook at fire safety norms and their enforcement in the national capital.

To be sure, the lapse...