New Delhi: A devastating fire tore through a cluster of makeshift homes near Rithala Metro Station in northwest Delhi late Friday night, killing one person and leaving hundreds homeless. Authorities said around 400 to 500 huts were reduced to ashes before the flames were brought under control early Saturday morning.
According to the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), the blaze was reported at 10:56 p.m. in a densely populated settlement in Rohini’s Sector 24 area. Witnesses said the fire spread rapidly after multiple LPG cylinders exploded, sending shockwaves through the locality and sparking chaos among residents trying to escape.
“The intensity of the flames was so high that they were visible from several kilometres away,” a DFS officer said. “Our teams rushed in with multiple engines and even deployed firefighting robots to access narrow lanes.”
More than 20 fire tenders battled the inferno for several hours. A thick cloud of smoke blanketed the area, while rescue workers and police teams evacuated residents from nearby shanties to prevent further casualties.
One person, identified as Munna, was found dead in the debris, and another man, Rajesh, sustained burn injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital. The condition of the injured man remains stable, officials confirmed.
Residents said they lost nearly all their possessions in the fire. “We had only a few minutes to run,” said one woman who lived in the area. “Everything we owned — clothes, documents, even our savings — is gone.”
Senior police officers and disaster management officials reached the scene shortly after midnight. The area has been cordoned off and a forensic team will examine the site to determine the exact cause of the fire, though initial investigations point to a cylinder blast.
The DFS confirmed that the flames were doused by early morning, but cooling operations continued for several hours to prevent reignition. Authorities are now working with local agencies to provide temporary shelter and relief materials to affected families.
Local social organizations and NGOs have also stepped in to offer food and blankets to those displaced. “We’re coordinating with the district administration to ensure immediate relief for the victims,” a civic volunteer said.
The incident has once again raised concerns about fire safety in unauthorized settlements where residents depend heavily on LPG for cooking and live in tightly packed huts made of flammable materials.
As daylight revealed the scale of the destruction, charred remains of hundreds of huts stood as a grim reminder of the tragedy — a night when an entire community lost everything.
