Fire guts 40 shanties in Gr Noida; no casualties

A fire in Greater Noida's Kherli Hafizpur destroyed 40 shanties on Monday, with no casualties reported. Families have been relocated to a shelter.

Greater Noida: As many as 40 shanties were gutted in a fire after a massive blaze broke out in Greater Noida’s Kherli Hafizpur on Monday morning, fire officials said, adding that no casualties were reported.

On reaching the spot, fire officials found around 30 to 40 nearby shanties engulfed in flames. “The fire was finally brought under control after an hour,” officials said. (HT Photos)

“On Monday, around 10:40 am, the fire control room was alerted by a local resident that a fire had broken out in shanties in Kherli Hafizpur area of Greater Noida’s Dankaur,” said Pradeep Chaubey, chief fire officer (CFO), Gautam Budh Nagar.

“Five fire tenders from Greater Noida and one from Sikandrabad were rushed to the spot,” he added

On reaching the spot, fire officials found around 30 to 40 nearby shanties engulfed in flames. “The fire was finally brought under control after an hour,” the officials said.

Fire officials said prima-facie, it appears that a small cylinder exploded in one of the shanties, after which the fire spread to nearby areas.

Panic gripped the area as flames intensified within minutes and thick smoke covered the surroundings. Several families rushed out of their shanties with whatever belongings they could collect, they added.

Ashutosh Gupta, sub-divisional magistrate, Sadar, told HT, “At least 40 shanties were gutted in the fire.” The families have been temporarily shifted to a shelter home, and a survey has been started to ascertain the losses they suffered. Following a survey, they will be provided financial help.”