A massive fire broke out in the slums and scrap located in Sector 102 of the city at around 3.30 am on Wednesday, fire officials said.
The fire spread so fast that many slums were burnt to ashes in no time. The belongings of the people kept in the slums also caught fire and were completely destroyed.
As soon as the incident was reported, several fire tenders from Bhim Nagar Fire Station, Sector 37 Udyog Vihar, and Sector 29 Fire Station reached the spot, and the fire personnel controlled the flame.
Due to the promptness of the fire brigade personnel, the fire was prevented from spreading to other nearby settlements.
However, the fire officer said there is no report of any casualty in this accident at present, but due to high flames and smoke, panic spread in the area.
The cause of the fire has not been ascertained yet, but according to the preliminary investigation, it is suspected that the fire broke out in a slum while making tea, etc, he said. “We received a call about the fire at 3.50 am. The fire brigade team reached the spot within 10 minutes. There were 150 huts there. Out of which 40 to 50 were burnt. About 10 vehicles were called from Sector 37, Bhim Nagar, and Pataudi fire stations,” Fire Officer Narender said. It is being said that during the fire, many small cylinders kept in the huts exploded. Due to this, the fire kept spreading. “400 to 450 people were living in these huts, who were rescued. The fire brigade teams carried out rescue operations and cooling operations to douse the flame completely,” he said.
The fire was brought under control by 7 am. Smoke is still coming out from the scrap and debris, so a fire brigade vehicle is stationed at the spot. A search operation will be carried out after the fire is completely extinguished, he added.