Vivek Vihar, in Delhi's Shahdara, where a fire claimed nine lives. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha) A fire broke out at a residential complex in East Delhi’s Shahdara on Sunday morning (May 3), resulting in the deaths of at least nine people. Initial reports suggest that an air-conditioner (AC) blast might have triggered the fire. Summer months often see reports of loss of life and property due to AC malfunctions. With higher average temperatures year-on-year and rising nationwide AC sales, the likelihood of such incidents increases. How exactly do the fires happen, and what can you do to prevent them? We explain. How do ACs catch fire? During the summer, continuously running electrical appliances can lead to overheating, also due to the high average atmospheric temperature. Another major reason is short-circuiting, or when the flow of electric current in a circuit goes in another direction.…