undreds of people were left homeless after a major fire in a slum in outer Delhi’s Mangolpuri gutted around 250 huts during the wee hours of Monday.
According to the police, one person sustained burns in the blaze. The victim Sandeep had rushed into his burning hut thrice to save his three children sleeping inside. While he escaped unhurt the first time, the next two attempts left him burnt in his arms. But he managed to rescue the children unhurt. The extent of the damage was such that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal visited the affected persons in the afternoon. He announced a compensation of Rs.25,000 to each family that lost their homes and requested his party volunteers to help the victims.
Apart from Kejriwal, his party colleague and local MLA Rakhi Birla and BJP leaders Udit Raj and Satish Upadhyay, too, paid a visit to the site and oversaw the relief arrangements.
The blaze was reported around 1.45 a.m. in a slum located at the entrance of Mangolpuri’s T and U Blocks. Those who were awake at that time said the fire started with a short-circuit in an electric pole.
“It took less than 10 minutes for all the huts to go up on flames. The electric cables burning overhead fell on the huts in a line, setting all the dwellings on fire” said Abhishek, a young boy.
The blaze took the sleeping slum dwellers by surprise and they had little time to react.
“Six of my children were sleeping inside. In the few minutes before my hut was fully burnt, I could only pull out my six sleeping children,” said Asha, an affected woman.
Since most of the slum residents deal in scrap or combustible materials like plastic, foam and cloth, fire spread rapidly. A few cylinder blasts added to the problem.
Fear of electrocution prevented people from trying to rescue their belongings after a large four-legged electric pole fell on the huts. Locals said fire tenders helped prevent fire from reaching a Bharatgas storehouse located metres away from the slum.
Most of the victims could save none of their belongings or even any cash in many cases. They were left with only the clothes on them. A boy was seen wearing different chappals on his two legs. “I could not wear my own chappals while escaping. So I am managing with whatever I have found,” said the nine-year-old Nishant.
While the government claimed it had directed the concerned officials to provide relief at the earliest, only tea and biscuits had been served to the affected people who gathered at a nearby park.
Only two tents had been put up by late afternoon even as officials said no one would sleep without roofs over their heads.
Drinking water and temporary toilets, though, were arranged early in the day.
Officials said meals would be provided to the victims through a ‘bhandara’ for at least two days before they again set up homes. Civic agencies, meanwhile, have arranged for fogging of the area to curb dengue mosquitoes.
Drinking water and temporary toilets, though, were arranged. meals to be provided for at
least two days
