Rithala Metro Station Fire: One Dead, Massive Blaze Rocks Delhi’s Slum Area

A big fire broke out on Friday night in a shanty town near Rithala Metro Station, between the station and the Delhi Jal Board area, in the Bengali Basti neighborhood. The fire, which was very big and intense, started at night according to the reports, and the Delhi Fire Service arrived very quickly and declared it a highly intense fire. One person was pronounced dead by the fire investigators while another, a child, was severely burned, rescued, and taken to Safdarjung Hospital for emergency treatment. 

Rithala Metro Station Fire: One Dead, Massive Blaze Rocks Delhi’s Slum Area

It was a very large operation for fire fighting, the Delhi Fire Service also mentioned that 29 fire engines were sent to the fire site to put it out. Fire officers stated that the fire scenario was initially labeled as a medium fire, but the fire’s intensification and hot spreading forced the response to double their efforts. The emergency teams were moreover hindered by the dense slum in the area which was made up of shanty houses and poor safety infrastructure. The body found still has not been identified, and the authorities are attempting to determine if any other persons were trapped or affected.

Rithala Metro Station Fire: One Dead, Massive Blaze Rocks Delhi’s Slum Area

While the authorities are still engulfed with the cooling operations, they are now contemplating the cause of the fire. The local officials have reported that fire’s origin would be thoroughly investigated after cooling down through a complete forensic inspection. This is another incident to add up to the fire safety concerns in informal housing clusters which imply that the residents of such areas still have to bear the brunt of high risks. The police and fire department have taken down the initial statements given by the witnesses and the area residents, and they are closely collaborating with the civic agencies to assess the damage and the recurrence risk of the fire.

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