Man injured while saving 2 children from fire in Delhi’s Vasant Kunj

Police said the blaze started around 2.30am at Bengali Basti, apparently from a heap of garbage that probably caught fire from a cigarette or due to friction. The fire soon got spread to the nearby area and at least 14 jhuggis (huts) were gutted

A 35-year-old man sustained burn injuries while trying to save two children after a fire broke out in Rangpuri JJ Cluster in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj early Friday. Senior officers said the two children also sustained minor burns, but all three of them are now stable.

Representational image. (HT Photo)

Police said the blaze started around 2.30am at Bengali Basti, apparently from a heap of garbage that probably caught fire from a cigarette or due to friction. The fire soon got spread to the nearby area and at least 14 jhuggis (huts) were gutted. Soon the residents of the jhuggi cluster spotted the fire and raised an alarm.

The police received a call reporting the fire at 2.45am. They immediately alerted the Delhi Fire Service and nine fire tenders were rushed to the spot to contain the blaze. Following at least three hours of firefighting, the fire was doused; however, cooling operations went on for a little longer.

Deputy commissioner of police (southwest) Ingit Pratap Singh said they learnt that one man has been injured while trying to save two children who were trapped in one of the jhuggis during the fire. “The man was identified as Mukesh Singh, 35. The two children aged 4 and 2 years also sustained minor burns and all three were taken to a hospital for treatment. All of them are fine now,” the DCP said.