Massive fire guts nearly 400 slums near Matiala fish market in Delhi

A massive blaze ripped through a cluster of slums near the Matiala fish market in New Delhi late Wednesday night, reducing hundreds of makeshift homes to ashes and leaving scores of families suddenly homeless. The raging fire, which spread swiftly through the densely packed settlement, triggered panic as residents scrambled to escape the advancing flames.

According to officials, the fire broke out around 11.53 pm, while the Delhi Fire Service received the emergency call shortly before midnight. Within minutes, multiple fire tenders were dispatched to the site as firefighters raced against time to contain the rapidly spreading inferno.

In total, 24 fire tenders along with senior fire officials were deployed to battle the blaze, which was categorised as a medium-category fire. Firefighters fought the flames through the night, finally bringing the situation under control by around 4 am. Cooling operations continued afterward to ensure that no hidden embers reignited the fire and to safeguard nearby dwellings.

Officials said the fire destroyed between 300 and 400 slum dwellings. Despite the scale of destruction, no casualties or injuries have been reported so far. Authorities have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the blaze.

At daybreak, the charred remains of the settlement painted a grim picture. Residents sifted through piles of blackened debris in a desperate attempt to salvage whatever little remained of their lives — utensils, documents, or scraps of clothing. Many families said the fire had consumed everything they owned, including food supplies and essential household belongings.

Amid the devastation, several residents voiced suspicions that the blaze might have been deliberately set, though officials have not confirmed these claims. Some locals alleged they had earlier faced pressure to vacate the land and said money had been forcibly collected from them in the name of the Delhi Development Authority.

Adding to their fears, residents claimed that another fire had occurred in the area just days ago under similarly suspicious circumstances.

“The fire started around 11.30 pm, but the fire brigade arrived nearly an hour later. We believe someone set it intentionally,” one resident alleged, recalling that a similar blaze had recently broken out nearby.

For many families, the loss has been overwhelming. “Where will we go now? We have nothing left. No one has even provided us with water. Everything has been destroyed in the fire. We don’t know how we will feed our children,” another resident said, voicing the anguish shared by many.

Others spoke of the deep sense of helplessness that followed the flames. “Only the fire brigade came to manage the situation, but the damage was already huge. We have been living here for more than 15 years. Now nothing is left for us,” a resident said.

Another survivor described returning to find his world erased. “I was not here when the fire broke out, but when I came back everything had been reduced to ashes. We request the government to provide food and support because we have lost everything.”

As investigators probe the cause of the fire, hundreds of displaced residents now face an uncertain future, hoping for relief and assistance in the aftermath of a night that turned their homes into cinders.

With IANS inputs