Over 50 shanties were gutted when a fire broke out in south-east Delhi’s Jamia Nagar on Tuesday morning, leaving several families homeless two days before Diwali. No injuries were reported, the police said.
According to Delhi Fire Service, the call was received around 11:45 a.m. stating that a fire broke out in the jhuggis near Batla House. “Around 20 fire tenders were rushed to the spot along with local police and other teams. It took a few hours to douse the fire and the cooling process went on till evening,” said a fire official.
‘Tenders reached late’
Residents of the jhuggis alleged that the fire tenders reached an hour after the call was made, leading to more and more shanties being engulfed in the fire. However, the police denied the claim.
“The call was made at 11:38 a.m. and the first fire tender reached the spot at 11:55 a.m.,” said Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) Romil Baaniya.
Locals also claimed that a few people suffered minor injuries because a couple of small cylinders burst due to the fire.
“Some people received minor abrasions but they didn’t have to be taken to the hospital. All the people were timely evacuated from the jhuggis” said Rina, a rag picker. What caused the fire hasn’t been ascertained so far, the police said.