India, June 8 -- Eight people, including four children, two women, and two men, were rescued, and two pet dogs died of suffocation from a residential building in South Delhi's New Friends Colony on Sunday afternoon after a fire broke out on the first floor and thick smoke blocked the central staircase, trapping residents on upper floors. Fire officials explicitly dismissed reports circulating about a child dying in the incident. No human casualties were reported.

The Delhi Fire Service received a call at around 3:50 pm. Police Station New Friends Colony received a PCR call at around 3:45 pm. A senior police official immediately led a team to house number C-600, where a fierce fire originating from the first floor had produced thick smoke...