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Hundreds of jhuggis destroyed in Laxmi Nagar fire

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, JUNE 22. Over 500 jhuggis were gutted in a fire that broke out in a slum cluster at Laxmi Nagar in East Delhi today. No one was injured in the incident.

According to a Fire Department spokesperson, the fire broke out in a cluster at Thokar No. 8, Yamuna Pushta (towards Laxmi Nagar side) at 1-05 p.m. At least 14 fire tenders were pressed into service. "We managed to stop the fire from spreading further within 15 minutes," said the spokesperson.

However, the fire was completely doused only around 3 p.m. The cooling off operations continued till late in the evening. While nobody was injured in the incident, the fire caused huge loss of property with several families losing all their belongings.

To ensure that the fire fighting efforts were not hampered, the traffic police diverted vehicles from the busy Vikas Marg intersection.

The police are now trying to ascertain the cause of the fire. Preliminary investigations have revealed that the fire spread from a shanty where food was being cooked.

Later in the day, the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, visited the site along with Development Minister, Raj Kumar Chauhan, and area Member of Parliament, Sandeep Dikshit. Ms. Dikshit took stock of the situation and announced a relief of Rs. 1,000 to the victims. Water, food, clothing, tents and first-aid were being provided to the victims of the incident.

A case has been registered at Shakarpur police station and further investigations are on.

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