New Delhi: More than 150 shanties were gutted in a fire that broke out in a slum near Shahbad Dairy in Delhi but no casualties were reported, police said on Monday.
The incident occurred late last night. Fifteen fire tenders were pressed into service as soon as information was received of the fire.
A fire department official said that a distress call was received at around 10 pm and the flames were doused after sometime. Fortunately, no injuries or casualties were reported, an official said.
According to police, over 150 shanties were burnt to ashes and hundreds of families have been rendered homeless following the incident. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained but it is suspected that a short circuit could have been the reason.
The extent of damage is being assessed and relief efforts have already been initiated, the official said.
On February 16, 11 workers were charred to death in a massive fire that broke out in a paint factory in Alipur in Delhi. On getting a distress call, 22 fire tenders were deployed to douse the flames. Finally, the fire was extinguished after two hours. The reason behind the incident could not be ascertained and investigations were initiated.
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