Blaze rips through Delhi's Matiala slum cluster, 80 shanties gutted; no casualties

New Delhi: At least 80 shanties were gutted after a massive fire broke out in a slum cluster near the fish market in Matiala area of southwest Delhi, police said. No casualties have been reported in the incident, they said. According to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), a call regarding the blaze in the jhuggi cluster and adjoining waste material warehouses was received at 11.54 pm on Wednesday. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and firefighting operations were launched. Police said a PCR call about the blaze in the Mansaram Park area was received at the Bindapur police station at 11.57 pm. Local police teams reached the spot and assisted in evacuating residents from the cluster. "All inhabitants of the shanties were safely evacuated, and the fire brigade was called to the spot," Deputy Commissioners of Police (Dwarka) Kushal Pal Singh said.

Fire officials said the blaze had spread across an area of nearly four acres, prompting authorities to deploy a large number of firefighting vehicles. More than 23 fire tenders were initially pressed into service, while police said the number of fire engines rose to about 28 during the operation. "After several hours of intensive firefighting efforts, the fire was brought under control around 3 am on Thursday. Cooling operations are underway to prevent any fresh flare-ups," the DCP said, adding that around 80 shanties were gutted. He said a similar fire had also been reported at the same location earlier this month. On March 7, a PCR call regarding a fire at the site was received, and the flames were doused with the help of eight fire tenders. A case was registered at the Bindapur police station in connection with that incident.

"According to information shared by the revenue department, the land where the shanties have come up is a privately owned property, but its ownership remains disputed," the senior officer said. "Authorities have also received multiple complaints in the past regarding illegal dumping of garbage at the site and incidents of garbage being set on fire," he added. Police said a debris removal drive had been planned at the site on March 7 by the district administration under the Kapashera subdivision, but it was postponed due to logistical issues. District authorities said the debris clearance operation will be carried out soon with the help of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. A government official said some heaps of waste material, including plastics, were also involved in the fire. "The fire has been completely extinguished. The shanties were made of highly flammable material such as bamboo, tarpaulin and plastic sheets. Fortunately, due to the swift operation, there were no casualties," the official said.