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Hundreds of shanties gutted in fire in Nathupur
Gurugram: Hundreds of shanties and makeshift shops were gutted in a fire in Nathupur village, next to DLF phase 3, early Saturday morning
Gurugram: Hundreds of shanties and makeshift shops were gutted in a fire in Nathupur village, next to DLF phase 3, early Saturday morning. Fire department officials said only one person suffered minor burn injuries in the fire which was doused after a nearly six-hour operation.
The corrugated tin sheet shanties and makeshift shops had been set up at a vacant plot near the Bengali market and local sabzi mandi in Nathupur village, behind the Sikanderpur furniture market on Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) Road. While the fire department claimed over 500 shanties and makeshift shops were gutted in the fire, relief volunteers on the ground said only 184 structures were affected.
“We received a call at the sector 29 fire department around 2.08 am. Two fire tenders were sent to the spot immediately. Within a few minutes of the call, bystanders also contacted me about the fire. While I was speaking to them, I could hear loud noises in the background, which sounded like bursting LPG cylinders and hence, more fire tenders were rushed to the spot,” said IS Kashyap, assistant divisional fire safety officer (ADFSO), Gurugram fire department.
Fifteen fire tenders, 13 from the Gurugram fire department and two from DLF fire services, were used to douse the blaze, said Kashyap.
“Despite continuous dousing operations, sporadic bursting of LPG cylinders aggravated the fire, and we were finally able to control it around 6 am, saving around 400 shanties from harm. By 8 am, the fire was completely doused and subsequently, fire tenders returned,” said Pankaj Prashar, fire safety officer, Gurugram fire department.
The fire department said that the blaze is likely to have been caused by leakage in an LPG cylinder or through a short circuit.
“We found illegal electrical connections in the shanties. There is a possibility that one of the loose electrical wires had a short circuit which led to the blaze. Our investigation is underway,” said Kashyap.
Meanwhile, relief volunteers said they assessed the damage on the ground. “With the help of the six contractors and people whose shanties were gutted, we prepared a list of 184 shanties and shops that were gutted in the blaze. Relief provisions for the affected have been initiated,” said Prerit Rana, chief executive officer (CEO), Agrasar, a nongovernmental organization (NGO).
