Fire destroys shanties in Gomti Nagar, families left homeless

At least a dozen shanties were reduced to ashes and nearly 40 people were rendered homeless after a fire broke out in an area near the Hahnemann crossing in Lucknow

At least a dozen shanties were reduced to ashes and nearly 40 people were rendered homeless after a fire broke out in an area near the Hahnemann crossing in Lucknow on Thursday morning. Three people were injured in the incident, said police.

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It took 12 fire tenders over an hour to douse the flames. But by that time, the belongings of people living in these shanties were destroyed.

“I was lying in my house when I heard neighbours shouting for help. By the time I moved out, the roof over their shanty had caught fire and the flames were spreading towards my house,” said Bhupesh Thapa, a scrap dealer.

As many as 20 families were residing in the shanties. Majority of them lost their houses in the fire.

According to fire department officials, the blaze was triggered by an earthen stove. It caught the plastic tarpaulin covering the roofs of the shanties. Two men and a woman received minor burn injuries as they tried to pull their belongings out of the burning shanties, said officials.

“Initially, four fire tenders were rushed to the spot within 20 minutes after receiving the information. Eight others were rushed later to the spot to handle the situation,” said VK Singh, chief fire officer (CFO), Lucknow.

The moment the fire was put off, the residents rushed to their place to collect whatever that was left behind.

Kusum Devi, a mother of three, lost her sewing machine in the fire but pulled out the crib of her four-year-old child. When she recovered a steel box containing all her documents and some clothes, she only found ashes inside.

“The box contained our savings, documents and winter clothes. All off it has been lost now,” lamented Kusum.