Kanawani Village: 200 shanties, dozens of scrap yards gutted in fire

Majority of the shanties had LPG cylinders, and many of these exploded during the fire, chief fire officer (CFO) Rahul Pal

Ghaziabad: About 200 shanties and dozens of scrap godowns were gutted in a “major blaze” in Kanawani near Indirapuram on Thursday afternoon, officials said, adding that 25 fire tenders were pressed into service to extinguish the fire but no casualty was reported.

A majority of the population living here work as domestic-helps at high-rises in Indirapuram and nearby areas, while others work in scrap godowns for their livelihood. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Majority of the shanties had LPG cylinders, and many of these exploded during the fire, chief fire officer (CFO) Rahul Pal told HT.

Fire department officials said that they received a call around 12.20pm.

“It was a major fire…The fire was controlled by 4.30pm. 22 fire tenders were roped in from Ghaziabad and Noida, while three were called in from industrial units. About 150-200 shanties and dozens of scrap godowns were gutted. No injuries or loss of life were reported. The cause of the fire could not be ascertained as yet, and it will be inquired,” the CFO said.

Officials and locals said that the area had a presence of about 200 shanties and about 100 scrap godowns, with a population of about 700-800 people living there.

A majority of the population living here work as domestic-helps at high-rises in Indirapuram and nearby areas, while others work in scrap godowns for their livelihood.

One of the affected persons, Satish Kumar, 28, originally from Patna, Bihar, said his scrap godown was destroyed in the incident. “Only 10-12 of the shanties were left… We don’t know how the fire started. My entire scrap material was burnt and destroyed in fire. I suffered a loss of about ₹6-7 lakhs. The fire spread quickly and aided by air in the open area, leaving the residents with barely any chance to pull out household items.”

Ram Khilawan, 45, originally from Lakhimpur Kheri, said that he started living here about five years ago. “My entire shanty got burnt. I lost all household items. I took ₹2 lakh loan to start my small work here, and the fire gutted all the material and items in the scrap godown. My wife and three children somehow escaped the fire,” he added.

No loss of life or any injury to anyone was reported, said police till filing of the report.

“The reasons behind the fire are yet to be ascertained. The area had a population of about 700-800 living here,” Abhishek Srivastava, ACP of Indirapuram circle told HT.