30 stalls gutted in fire at Dilli Haat, officials say no casualties

Soon after news of the fire broke, Karawal Nagar MLA Kapil Mishra and Tourism Minister wrote on his social media page that the fire had been brought under control. “The fire at Dilli Haat has been brought under control. There are no reports of any casualties in the fire. The Fire Department and administration are present at the spot. I am going to Dilli Haat,” wrote Mishra on X.

Mishra, who visited the popular art and craft market, was seen consoling shop owners. “Our first step today will be to get an estimate of the losses that took place. Tomorrow, we’ll take the next step and give compensation to those affected by the fire… around 26 shops have been gutted by the fire… Let me assure you that we shall stand by you. Your shops will be reinstated, and you shall be compensated for your losses. Along with this, the cause of the fire and whether there were any delays in dousing it shall be investigated,” said Mishra to the media present there. He then praised the shopkeepers for their bravery.

This is the second fire that broke out on Wednesday. According to the DFS, a call was received at 2.05 pm about a fire at a cloth shop in Shahdara’s Gandhi Nagar. “Eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot. However, the fire had spread to two more shops,” a DFS official said.

It took two hours for the DFS to control the blaze, with thick plumes of smoke making visibility extremely low at the spot.

Police said a case under sections of negligence has been registered at the Gandhi Nagar police station, with preliminary investigation showing that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit. No injuries have been reported as of now.

On Sunday, a massive fire broke out in Bengali Basti jhuggi. Two children were charred to death and a man was injured. Around 400 shanties were gutted.

Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief Atul Garg had written on X that the crowd at Bengali Basti near Shri Niketan Apartments was very “hostile” amid fire-fighting operations. “DFS jawans are doing their best,” he wrote. Locals, on the other hand, claimed fire tenders took a long time to arrive.

Fire officials said the tenders were unable to enter the narrow lanes, surrounded by boundary walls of a nearby society, and it took them more than three hours to douse the flames. According to a DFS statement, a call was received at 11.55 am that thick plumes of smoke were coming out of the jhuggi. A total of 20 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.