Major fire engulfs IGI airport
A major fire broke out at one of the cargo terminals of Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in the wee hours of Thursday, destroying property worth crores of rupees.
The police said an investigation into the cause of the fire was under way. There was, however, no report of any casualties.
The fire started around 1 a m on Thursday at the Import Cargo building, housing the offices of customs, GMR Group, Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India Pvt. Ltd, Delhi International Airport Ltd. (DIAL), and several international airlines, including Air India, Thai Airways and Alitalia.
“We received a call around 1:15 a m about a massive fire at the cargo terminal. Our teams reached the spot within 10 minutes. And with the help of 28 fire tenders they were able to douse the fire by 4:30 a m There were no casualties,” a fire official said.
The cause of the fire is suspected to be a short-circuit, but it is yet to be ascertained. “A detailed investigation is being conducted into the incident. It is very early to come to a conclusion about the exact reason behind the blaze and the cost of the property destroyed,” a senior police officer said.
However, a Central Industrial Security Force official added that a gas cylinder kept in the building exploded after the fire which magnified the impact.
The terminal was being operated by Celebi Delhi Cargo Terminal Management India Pvt. Ltd. The affected area has since been declared out of bounds for the next 72 hours for maintenance purpose.
