New Delhi: Seventeen persons were injured, while four others sustained serious burns, after a fire broke out in a slum area in south east Delhi's Sriniwaspuri on Monday evening, officials Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said.
According to a DFS officer, a call was received at 7.05 pm about the fire, after which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The blaze, which was doused by 7.30 pm, was reportedly caused by a LPG gas leakage, he added.
Among the four victims injured seriously, Leelawati (43) suffered 55 per cent burns, while Keshanta (40), Kishan Kumar (40) and Sadhna (30) all sustained at least 25 per cent burns.
"All of them are undergoing treatment at Safdarjung Hospital,' the official added.
An eyewitness claimed that the fire started outside a house where a gas cylinder was leaking. Pankaj, another eyewitness living in the area, claimed he was on his way home when his son called and told him about the fire.
"A cylinder was kept outside the house when the family members of that house found it leaking. Some people tried to stop the leakage after several people were injured in the fire," said Pankaj.
Another eyewitness, an auto rickshaw driver, said that his relative received burn injuries and was rushed to hospital.
"No one knows where the spark came and caused the fire. The gas, which was in the air, caught fire and spread into the narrow lanes," said the driver.