Two men died in the fire that broke out at Vishal Mega Mart in central Delhi's Karol Bagh area, police said on Saturday.
Kumar Dhirender Pratap, 25, was found dead inside a lift. He is suspected to have died of suffocation, according to police.
Another male charred body was recovered from the building later during the cooling operations. Efforts are on to identify the second body.
At 6.51 pm on Friday, Dhirender began sending desperate messages to his elder brother from inside the lift. "Bhaiya (brother)," he first wrote, followed by, "Hum lift mein hoon. Gas (sic) gaye hain. Karol Bagh Mega Mart." His final message, also sent at 6.51 pm, read, "Ab saans phool raha. Kuchh karo" (I am short of breath now. Do something).
There were no further messages from him.
The fire was reported at 6.44 pm from the second floor of the four-storey commercial building located on Padam Singh Road.
"This is a Vishal Mega Mart outlet where grocery and fabric items are sold. The fire was confined mainly to the second floor," a Delhi Police statement said.
Thirteen fire tenders were deployed to douse the blaze, and around 90 firefighters were involved in the operation.
Officials said the firefighting effort was prolonged due to inadequate ventilation inside the premises.
While the exact cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed, preliminary indications point to a suspected short circuit, they said.
A case under relevant sections is likely to be registered, police said, adding that a detailed investigation is underway.
Aam Aadmi Party president Saurabh Bharadwaj wrote on X, "Since the formation of the BJP government, several people have died due to massive fires breaking out across Delhi. Anand Vihar, Seva Basti (March 2025): Three people died in a fire incident. Rohini, Sector 17 (April 2025): Two children died due to a fire in a slum. Dwarka (June 2025): A father and his two children died in a fire incident in a flat. Rithala (June 2025): Four people’s deaths were confirmed due to a massive fire in a multi-story factory. Karol Bagh, Vishal Mega Mart (July 2025): 25-year-old Kumar Dhirendra Pratap died due to being trapped in a lift during the fire incident."
"The BJP doesn’t know how to run a government. Chief minister, please explain - what is the reason for this, and to whom all have you provided compensation?" he asked.
Ravi Nath, Delhi Fire service said, "This building has ground plus three floors, and there was a fire on every floor. The reason for the larger fire is that the entire facility is filled with grocery items, clothes, and many burning objects. The investigation will reveal the cause of the fire, what happened, and why the fire system failed."