Fire razes 500 huts to ground
Temporary camps set up, food and medicines being provided
About 500 dwellings were gutted when a fire broke out in a slum in Ghazipur area in east Delhi on Tuesday morning, police said.
The fire broke out at around 6:30 am and was brought under control within an hour. Three persons, including a woman, were injured, a senior police official said.
A fire official said around 25 fire tenders and some water tankers were rushed to the spot. However, their efforts were slightly hampered due to a high voltage electricity line in the area, the official added.
“The flames had damaged the electricity line due to which our men were a bit cautious. Lots of flammable items like woods, clothes and plastic were also stored in the slum cluster,” the official said.
While the exact cause of the fire is yet to be established, reports say it began with a short circuit. Electricity in the area was cut for some hours but services have resumed now, added the official.
The police have set up some temporary camps in the area for the slum dwellers. “We are providing food, medicines and other facilities as the entire slum cluster has been gutted,” an officer said.
The same slum had witnessed a major fire in 2010 when a high voltage electricity line fell on it, destroying over 100 dwellings.
Fire at AIR
In a separate incident, a minor fire broke out in the Akashvani Bhavan on Parliament Street on Tuesday evening. The fire was reported in the ground floor of the building at around 5:40 pm.
“Four fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was doused within minutes. No one was injured in the incident,” a fire official said.
The cause of fire is yet to be ascertained, he added.
