Delhi slum fire claims four

At least four people were killed when a fire gutted 350 dwellings in a slum settlement in north Delhi early Monday. The blaze enveloped the slum in Sadar Bazar and claimed at least four lives while six people sustained serious burns, fire officials said.

At least four people were killed when a fire gutted 350 dwellings in a slum settlement in north Delhi early Monday. The blaze enveloped the slum in Sadar Bazar and claimed at least four lives while six people sustained serious burns, fire officials said.

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"We got a call of a fire in Sadar Bazaar's Qutub Chowk area at 3.05 am The area is congested. Nearly 350 slums were gutted. It took us nearly two hours to douse the flames. We recovered four charred bodies from the remains. We haven't been able to identify them yet," a fire department official told IANS.

Officials have not been able to determine what caused the fire.

"We don't know exactly what caused the fire yet. But in such cases, it could be a gas leak or flamed cigarette butt that started the fire. Since it is a congested slum area near a wholesale market, there was also a lot of inflammable material stocked in the open due to which the fire spread," the official said.

Twenty-three fire engines were rushed to the spot and officials were able to contain the blaze by 5.30 am.