Fire in petrol wagon at Shakur Basti railway yard, no injuries

A fire in a petrol tank wagon at Delhi's Shakur Basti yard was quickly controlled with no injuries. An inquiry is underway to determine the cause.

A fire broke out in a petrol-laden tank wagon stationed at north Delhi’s Shakur Basti railway yard on Monday allegedly due to a leakage in the vehicle. Delhi Police’s railway unit said the staff at the spot immediately responded to the fire, so no injuries or casualties took place.

The fire did not spread to adjoining wagons or nearby infrastructure.

Deputy commissioner of police (railways) B Bharat Reddy said that the fire was reported at around 1pm on Monday and was doused within some minutes. The fire did not spread to adjoining wagons or nearby infrastructure, averting any major accident, the DCP said.

“Preliminary inquiry has revealed that the incident occurred due to leakage of petrol from the lid of the tank wagon. The leakage resulted in accumulation of highly inflammable vapours, which subsequently ignited, leading to the fire,” he added.

Continuous vigilance and adherence to safety protocols are being enforced to ensure such incidents are avoided in the future. Also, no significant damage to railway property was caused by the fire.

“The situation is now completely under control. The area has been declared safe after preliminary assessment. Further technical inspection of the tank wagon is being done,” Reddy said.

A senior northern railway (NR) officer, who asked not to be named, said, “An inquiry has been launched to ascertain the exact sequence of events leading to the fire and fix responsibility. The railway staff present at the spot played a crucial role in controlling the fire and spreading it to other parked wagons.”