NEW DELHI: Two minor girls were charred to death in a fire that broke out in a jhuggi cluster at Kapashera in South-West Delhi on Friday. Three other fires were reported in the Capital during the day.

Around 11-15 a.m., a fire broke out in a junkyard at Kapashera and soon engulfed the nearby jhuggis. About a dozen fire tenders took over two hours to douse the flames. Later, two charred bodies, that of three-year-old Rupali and five-year-old Sonia, were found in the gutted jhuggis.

The local police have initiated a probe to establish the cause of fire.

In another incident reported around 2-45 p.m., a timber market was gutted at Shahdara in North-East Delhi. Over two dozen fire tenders were pressed into service. The blaze was brought under control within two hours. No one was reportedly injured in the incident.

Earlier in the morning, residents of the slums located at Shakarpur in East Delhi set fire to their own jhuggis in protest against the ongoing demolition drive along the Yamuna river bed.

The fire department received a call around 11-30 a.m., following which over a dozen fire tenders were despatched to put out the blaze.

The incident led to a huge traffic snarl on ITO bridge and commuters headed towards East Delhi were stranded.

Around 2-45 p.m., the residents again set about 30 more jhuggis on fire. The police have so far arrested at least seven people in this connection.

Around 5 p.m., yet another fire broke out in the jhuggi cluster at Geeta Colony in East Delhi. While the police suspect that the residents themselves set their dwellings afire, the incident led to a massive traffic jam on Vikas Marg and other arterial roads. The blaze was brought under control around 7 p.m.

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