A massive fire erupted in Shaheen Bagh area of Delhi on Saturday evening which engulfed three restaurants, two shops, and flats. The fire started with a spark in electrical wire which soon spread and engulfed three restaurants. As many as 18 fire tenders were pressed to the spot which doused the fire. No casualty was reported.
According to Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials they received a call at 5.44 PM reporting that a fire broke out in electric wires outside a restaurant in Shaheen Bagh's 40 Foota Road. Shaheen Bagh Resident Welfare Association member, Riyaz said that they promptly informed the local police soon after a restaurant caught fire. But by the time, fire fighting engines reached the spot, it had spread to the restaurant, they added. Riyaz further said, "The station house officer came within five minutes but the fire engines came late. Two flats also caught fire but thankfully, no one was injured in the incident."
Short circuit may have triggered fire: Police
A police officer said the fire is suspected to have started due to a short circuit in electric wires outside the Zaika Restaurant. But the fire’s intensity was high and so it soon spread to restaurants and nearby shops. The fire dousing efforts took time as the lanes were narrow and the DFS vehicles took time to reach the spot. Several videos of the incident surfaced on social media showing the buildings engulfed in high flames and locals running to safety.
As the fire was controlled and doused later, the station officer from DFS, Praveen Kumar stated that no LGP cylinder blast or any other incident took place, as it could have exacerbated the situation.
Earlier in the day, a fire incident was reported from a food processing unit in Narella Industrial area of Delhi. Three people lost their lives while six others were injured. After the unit caught fire, 14 fire tenders reached the spot to douse the fire. Nine people were rescued from the site.
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