Nation
Earphones turn lethal as scrap dealer dies in Delhi slum blaze
Residents said the blaze erupted around 11 pm and spread so fast that many were forced to break walls or jump over adjoining boundaries to escape
A massive fire tore through a cluster of around 500 shanties near Delhi’s Rithala metro station late Friday night, killing one man and leaving thousands homeless in the sprawling Rohini settlement dominated by migrant workers from West Bengal. Police said multiple LPG cylinders exploded in quick succession, accelerating the blaze and triggering chaos as residents scrambled to escape.
The only confirmed fatality so far is 30-year-old Munna, a scrap dealer who had lived in the settlement for nearly 15 years. His family believes he could not hear the screams and commotion because he was wearing earphones while speaking to his wife in West Bengal.
“We were sleeping when the fire began to spread. Everyone was shouting and running. My brother was on a call, and he didn’t realise what was happening,” Munna’s sister, Farida Bibi (35), told PTI, struggling to hold back tears. “We thought he had run out with us. It was his last call.”
Munna’s wife and six-year-old daughter live in Kolkata, while he supported them and his widowed mother by working in Delhi’s informal scrap market. “We have lost our brother, our home, everything. We are ruined. The government must help us,” Farida said.
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Another resident, Rafiq, said his brother suffered severe burns and is in critical condition. “He was sleeping right where the fire started. By the time we reached him, he was burnt beyond recognition,” he said.
Residents said the blaze erupted around 11 pm and spread so fast that many were forced to break walls or jump over adjoining boundaries to escape. “The main exit was engulfed in flames. People ran in any direction they could,” said Siraj, who has lived in the settlement for over two decades. “Now thousands of us are homeless. We depend entirely on government help.”
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said fire tenders and robotic firefighting systems were deployed promptly and that injured residents were shifted to hospitals. Relief efforts, including food, water and temporary shelters, have been set up for those displaced.
The Delhi Fire Services said they received the first call at 10:56 pm and sent multiple fire engines to control the blaze.
With PTI inputs
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