Delhi: Three labourers killed after fire breaks out in temporary shelter

Deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) Prashant Gautam said that the call about the incident was made at 2:42am

Three labourers were killed while another got injured after a fire broke out early Tuesday morning in a temporary shelter near Anand Vihar in Delhi.

The deceased have been identified while the injured person is undergoing treatment. (Representative file photo)

Deputy commissioner of police (Shahdara) (DCP) Prashant Gautam said that the call about the incident was made at 2:42am. Fire officials said that three fire tenders were pressed into service.

According to police, the four victims, employed as casual labourers by the Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) company, were residing in a temporary tent on a DDA plot near the drain and the Rotary Club office.

The deceased have been identified while the injured person is undergoing treatment.

Police said that the labourers were using a diesel-powered lamp and had placed it on a cooler stand to light their tent. At around 11pm on Monday, they went to sleep inside the tent. They used to put a lock on the temporary gate of the tent. At approximately 2am, one of the occupants noticed the fire and attempted to open the lock to escape, but he was unsuccessful. Later, a gas cylinder exploded leading to further damage by intensifying the flames.

The bodies of the deceased have been transferred to the mortuary for autopsies, police said.