Fire breaks out at fish market in Uttam Nagar, 80 shanties gutted

A major fire broke out in a cluster of jhuggis at Mansa Ram Park near the fish market in Matiala in southwest Delhi’s Uttam Nagar late Wednesday night, gutting around 80 shanties and triggering a large-scale rescue operation. However, according to the police, no casualties were reported in the incident.

According to officials, the blaze erupted in the densely populated slum cluster and spread rapidly through the closely packed huts made of bamboo, plastic sheets, and tarpaulin. A PCR call reporting the fire was received at the Delhi Police station at Bindapur at around 11.57 pm on Wednesday. Immediately after receiving the alert, a police team rushed to the spot and began evacuating residents from the shanties to safer locations. “All inhabitants of the shanties were safely evacuated, and the fire brigade was called to the spot,” Deputy Commissioners of Police (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh said.

Officials said police personnel went door to door in the settlement to alert families as the flames spread quickly across the cluster.

The Delhi Fire Service also received information about the blaze at around 11.54 pm. Fire tenders were rushed to the site, and firefighting operations began shortly after. Fire officials said the flames spread across a large section of the cluster within minutes because of the highly flammable materials used in the makeshift houses.

Initially, more than 20 fire tenders were deployed to contain the blaze. As the fire intensified, additional engines were pressed into service, taking the total number of fire tenders involved in the operation to around 28.

Firefighters battled the flames for several hours before bringing the situation under control at around 3 am on Thursday. Officials said cooling operations continued for several hours afterward to prevent any fresh flare-ups in the area.

Authorities confirmed that around 80 shanties were completely destroyed in the blaze. However, hundreds of residents managed to escape in time due to the swift evacuation carried out by police and firefighters.

During the firefighting and rescue operation, police personnel also prevented a potential explosion that could have worsened the situation. Head Constable Ramratan Saran, who was part of a PCR unit present at the site, noticed a locked car parked very close to the fire.

The officer realised that the vehicle was fitted with a CNG kit and that the intense heat from the flames could trigger an explosion. Acting quickly, he smashed the car window with a stone and ensured the vehicle was moved away from the burning structures.