A major fire broke out at Ghasola village in Sector-49 Gurugram here on Monday morning after some small gas cylinders burst into flames. A massive fire had also broken out in the same place two years ago. Reportedly, after over 150 small gas cylinders burst into flames, the blaze spread rapidly with smoke filling up the sky. The fire engulfed several huts of which more than 160 shanties were completely gutted. The cause of the fire is suspected to be a blast in small cylinders. Fire personnel evacuated residents from the huts and it took them about three hours to control the fire. No casualties or injuries have been reported.
According to the fire officials they received the fire incident call at around 11.55 AM at the Sector-29 fire station. More than 2,000 people became homeless due to the fire. They suspected that the fire incident took place due to blasts in small cylinders which cause a fire in the area and it spread rapidly to other huts. Soon the entire area was engulfed in flames.
The residents left their valuables behind and ran to safe places to save their lives. Rajesh Kumar, a fire official said, more than twenty tenders reached the place and brought the situation under control in three hours. Twenty fire-tenders from Sector-29 fire station, Manesar, Udyog Vihar fire station, Sector-37 fire station and Bhim Nagar fire station were rushed to the spot.
"Teams of several fire personnel, civil defence and police personnel were deployed in the fire-fighting and evacuation operations. Most probably the incident was caused by an electric short-circuit," he said.
These huts are covered with plastic covers, tarpaulin sheets, wood and bamboo. These materials were another reason for the fire to spread across the area very rapidly.
"There was some property loss to residents but no death or injuries were caused. The residents are daily wage labourers working at construction sites and houses,” he said.
It is being told that a few contractors have illegally built slums by occupying government land near Ghasola village in Sector 49. Rs 2000 to Rs 4000 per shanty were collected from the people living in these slums.