9 died in March 18 blaze: Bronto Skylift failed, crew not trained — magisterial inquiry report on Palam fire

4 min readNew DelhiJul 31, 2026 01:52 AM IST A massive fire broke out in a four-storey residential building in Southwest Delhi’s Palam area on Wednesday morning, claiming the lives of eight people, including children. (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)Bronto Skylift (hydraulic crane) of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) failed during the rescue operation after its boom became entangled in overhead cables and banners, no backup high-reach rescue equipment was available and firefighters had to rely on a manual ladder that could not reach the third floor balcony – these are the major findings of a magisterial inquiry into the March 18 fire in a four-story building in Palam that killed nine people, including three children, The Indian Express has learnt. The report was submitted by District Magistr