New Delhi, March 5 A massive fire swept through a cluster of slums in Delhi's Rithala area early on Thursday, killing a 17-year-old girl and destroying more than 100 huts, leaving dozens of migrant families homeless.
Firefighters recovered the charred body of the girl, who had initially been reported missing after the fire.
The fire, which was reported to authorities at 4:15 am, rapidly spread through the densely packed slums, causing panic among residents who rushed out of their huts to escape the flames.
Residents said the slum cluster was home to migrant laborers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, as well as workers from other states, who worked as daily wage laborers in nearby factories, construction sites, and small businesses.
The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) launched a large-scale firefighting operation and deployed more than 18 fire engines to control the blaze.
After the fire was brought under control, firefighters recovered the charred body of a teenage girl from the debris.
"Teams reached the location soon after receiving the call and began firefighting operations. The fire had already engulfed several slums in the cluster," a fire official said.
Officials said the fire spread quickly because the huts were built very close to each other, and many contained highly flammable materials such as plastic sheets, wooden planks, and cloth.
Firefighters and local police personnel carried out rescue and cooling operations and managed to bring the fire under control by around 6:30 am.
"The fire had spread to more than 100 huts, as well as an adjacent warehouse containing paper rolls and cardboard, and the doors and windows of some residential flats also caught fire. The charred body of a 17-year-old girl was also recovered. Her body was sent to BSA Hospital by PCR," the officer said.
Police said the girl has been identified, and further legal proceedings are underway.
Many families said they lost everything in the fire, as they had to flee with no belongings.
"We ran out to save our lives when the fire started. Within minutes, everything was burning. Our hut, clothes, money, and documents – everything has turned to ashes," said Ramesh Kumar, a laborer from Bihar who has been living in the area.
Another person from West Bengal said that the flames spread so quickly that people barely had time to wake their children and escape.
"We woke up to screams and saw fire everywhere. We somehow managed to take the children outside. We could not save anything from the hut. All our belongings are gone," she said.
Some residents were seen searching through the burnt remains of their huts in the hope of finding salvageable items. "We worked for years to build this small hut and collect household items. In just a few minutes, everything we had earned was destroyed," said a migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh.
Police said the exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and an investigation is underway.
