A massive fire broke out at over 100 huts (shanties) inDelhi's Rithala area early morning on Thursday (March 5), killing a 17-year-old girl and destroying more than 100 huts. The deadly fire left dozens of migrant families homeless, while several suffered burn injuries. The blaze that was reported to authorities at 4.15 am spread rapidly through the densely packed shanties, triggering panic among residents who rushed out of their huts to escape the flames.
According to the residents, the shanty cluster was home to migrant labourers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal and other states who worked as daily wage workers in nearby factories, construction sites and small establishments.
The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) launched a large-scale firefighting operation and deployed more than 18 fire tenders to control the blaze.
Firefighters pulled out the charred body of the girl from the debris, who was initially reported missing after the fire. The police said that the girl has been identified, and further legal procedures are underway.
"Teams reached the location soon after the call was received and began firefighting operations. The fire had already engulfed several shanties in the cluster," a fire official said.
Officials said the blaze spread quickly because the huts were built very close to each other and many contained highly inflammable materials such as plastic sheets, wooden planks and cloth.
Firefighters and local police personnel carried out rescue and cooling operations and managed to bring the fire under control by around 6.30 am.
"The fire had spread to more than 100 huts and an adjacent godown of paper rolls and cardboard, and the doors and windows of some residential flats also caught fire. A 17-year-old girl's charred body was also recovered. Her body was sent to BSA Hospital by PCR," the officer said.
Many families said they lost everything in the fire as they had to flee with no belongings during the fire. They said that their clothes, hut, money and documents, everything turned into ashes.
"We ran out to save our lives when the fire started. Within minutes, everything was burning. Our hut, clothes, money and documents -- everything has turned to ashes," Ramesh Kumar, a labourer from Bihar, told PTI news agency.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
