Fire ravages five-storey godown in South Delhi

NEW DELHI: A major fire engulfed a five-storey godown in Khirki Extension area of south Delhi on Tuesday evening. The godown collapsed around 9.30 pm as the fire damaged the base of the structure. By late evening, the fire had spread to a nearby chemical factory. Two other houses were also damaged.
Present at the spot to fight the blaze was chief fire officer Atul Garg. He and other officers complained of suffocation and had to be admitted to a hospital. Fortunately, there were no fatalities. But officials pegged the losses roughly around Rs 5 crore.

It isn’t known what caused the fire, but a witness is learnt to have told the police that a labourer smoking a beedi threw it without stubbing it and a truck parked adjacent to the godown caught fire that way. The truck was completely gutted.

Fire officials said no NOCs had been obtained to run the godown and the factory.

The godown was used to store rubber, which aggravated the fire. Thick cloud of black smoke billowing out of the godown could be seen from far away, which triggered panic in the area. The fire was reported around 5 pm. several fire tenders were sent, which got stuck in the evening traffic. By 9 pm, 35 fire engines were deployed. But by 8 pm, the blaze had spread to the factory. The boundary wall of a nearby Sant Nirankari school was also damaged.

Locals said the factory has been running for the past five years. “We were not aware of such an industry running in this congested, residential area. We will approach the civic bodies to seal it,” said Rakesh Kumar, a resident of M block.

By 9 pm, residents of 10 houses opposite the school were asked to vacate their houses. “I was in office when my uncle asked me to rush home. We grabbed whatever we could and ran out. The house must have been badly damaged,” said Mandira, one of the residents.

The area also has several apparel shops, which could act as catalysts for the fire to get worse. “Our primary aim was to contain the blaze within the collapsed structure so that it does not spread to the residential areas around the factory. Several teams are working non-stop. The building had no fire safety measures,” said fire chief G C Mishra.