Over 90 vehicles gutted in parking fire, no casualties

New Delhi: A fire broke out at a metro parking lot in southeast Delhi's Jamia Nagar on Wednesday morning, causing damage to at least 90 vehicles, police said. No casualty was reported, they added.

The parking lot shares its boundary with the metro station.

Atul Garg, Director, Delhi Fire Services, said a call regarding the fire at the main Tikona Park in Jamia Nagar was received at around 5 am and 11 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

"Several vehicles were damaged in the fire," Garg said, adding that the blaze has been brought under control.

The cause of the fire is being ascertained, the official said, adding that the entire parking space has suffered damage.

Police said they were informed about the fire at 5.15 am and suspect that it was caused by a short-circuit.

According to police, the area inside the Delhi Metro premises has been taken on lease by ETO Motors and is being used as a parking lot and a charging station for e-rickshaws.

"Eighty-three e-rickshaws were gutted, while 11 cars, four two-wheelers and the air-conditioners of two-three houses in the vicinity got damaged. No casualty was reported," a senior police officer said.

"An FIR under section 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the Okhla Vihar Metro police station," he added.

Rajamani Krishnamurti, president of ETO motors told Millennium Post that 83 e-rickshaws were gutted while 11 cars, four two-wheelers and the air-conditioners of two-three houses in the vicinity got damaged. He further added that no casualty was reported. He also stressed that the main focus is to get new e-rickshaws, so that drivers do not lose their only source of income. Also, the investigation is underway and it is suspected that the fire was caused by a short-circuit.

Abdul Qadir, 52, has been driving rickshaw for 30 years. He is a resident of Jamia Nagar. He said: "My only source of income has been lost. What will I do now? I managed to earn Rs 400 a day. At this age without proper education, who is going to provide me another job?"

Mohammad Adil, 23, has been driving e-rickshaw for two years. He has been living in Delhi for about 10 years. He said: "I lost my job during the pandemic, and to support my family, I had to drive e-rickshaw. I am the sole bread earner of my family. I have lost everything. Now I have to look for another source of income."

Another fire broke out in the basement of a building in southeast Delhi's Lajpat Nagar market on Wednesday, officials said.

The fire started in the electrical panel of the building, they said.

A senior fire official said the information about the fire was received at 2.54 pm and 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. All the people on the other floors of the building were safely rescued.

The ground and first floors of the building housed a private bank and a private company was operating on the second and third floors, the fire officials said.

Around 80 people were rescued safely by Delhi Fire Services personnel from the first, second and third floors. The fire was in the basement only, they said.

On June 12 last year, five showrooms were damaged after a massive fire broke out in the Lajpat Nagar market.

Three buildings housing mainly showrooms of garments, watches and crockery caught fire. No one was inside the shops at the time of the incident.