Three major fires were reported in Delhi on Thursday. The first was reported from Keshopur Mandi near Tilak Nagar. The second was reported from a cardboard factory at Nangloi in west Delhi, and the third at south-west Delhi’s Kapashera area in a wood factory. No casualties were reported.
The fire at Keshopur Mandi was reported at 10:30am. Fifteen fire tenders were sent to the spot and it took the firefighters around an hour to control the fire.
“The market opens early at 6am and the crowds begin to subside by 11am. It was still crowded when the fire broke. It was preceded by a loud blast like sound, so we are assuming that it was a cylinder blast in one of the shops near the market that caused the fire,” an eyewitness said.
At 12:45pm the Delhi Fire Services received information about a fire at a cardboard factory near Delhi State Industrial Development Corporation complex in Nangloi.” We sent out 10 fire tenders initially, but the fire was spreading fast, so we had to send additional tenders. In total, 22 tenders were pressed into action. It took us around two hours to douse the fire,” said a senior fire official.
Though the reason of the fire is still to be ascertained, eye witnesses say that a short circuit near the factory sparked off the fire. Within minutes it consumed cardboard in the factory. “Generally 50-60 workers are present in the factory during work hours, but thankfully, before the fire spread everyone managed to get out,” said Manohar Kumar, a local shop owner who alerted the fire department.
The fire at Kapashera was reported at 1:43pm. “We had to send 26 tenders to control the fire at the wood factory. The flammable material in the factory added to the intensity of the fire,” the official added.
