The blaze enveloped the Priyadarshini slum in Sadar Bazaar's Qutub Chowk area at 3.05 a.m. "The area is very congested and nearly 350 slums were gutted. It took us nearly two hours to douse the flames. We recovered one charred body from the remains and we haven't been able to identify it yet," a fire department official said.
Officials have not been able to determine the cause of the fire. "We don't know exactly what caused the fire yet. But in such cases, it could be a gas leak or a lit cigarette butt that started the fire. Since it is a congested slum area near a wholesale market, there was also a lot of inflammable material stocked in the open due to which the fire spread," the official said. Twenty-three fire engines were rushed to the spot and officials were able to contain the blaze by 5.30 a.m.
