Delhi: Massive fire breaks out in Gokulpuri area; 7 dead
At least seven people died and nearly 30 shanties were burned down after a massive fire broke out in Delhi's Gokulpuri area on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. The fire reportedly broke out at around 1:00am on Saturday. The fire department said a total of 13 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The blaze was brought under control by 4:00am.
The police said they received a fire call at around 1:00am on Saturday. "Immediately after gathering information, our teams reached the spot with all the rescue equipment," said Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police, Northeast Delhi, Devesh Kumar Mahla. "We also contacted the Fire Department which responded very well. We all managed to douse the fire by around 4:00am," he added.
दिल्ली के गोकुलपुरी झुग्गी बस्ती में देर रात आग लगने से 7 लोगों की मौत, 30 झुग्गियाँ जलकर राख. pic.twitter.com/BdQsH38qhW
— Utkarsh Singh (@UtkarshSingh_) March 12, 2022
As per officials, a 13-year-old boy and three women were among the deceased. Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg said the victims could not escape the fire that spread rapidly because they were sleeping. "The charred bodies are unrecognizable. It seemed that these people were sleeping and could not escape as the fire spread extremely fast," Garg was quoted as saying by ANI.
Preliminary investigation suggests the fire might have been caused by a short circuit. However, the exact cause hasn't been ascertained yet. The fire spread rapidly as large amounts of combustible material was lying around, officials told the Indian Express. Additional DCP Mahla said they were taking appropriate legal action, while forensic experts from Forensic Science Laboratory, Rohini, were also called in for the probe.
Meanwhile, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal also expressed grief over the incident and said he will meet the families of the victims. "Heard the sad news early in the morning. I will go to the spot and meet the affected people personally," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
