Between 250 and 400 slum dwellings were destroyed in the blazing fire in the north western New Delhi neighborhood, local media reported on Monday.
The fire department received a call around 2 a.m. about the blaze that also gutted a plastic godown. 28 fire tenders have been pressed into action.
The cause of the incident has not yet been established. NDTV news channel reported that the fire has been brought under control.
The fire spread rapidly,” one of the witnesses told the channel, adding that he received minor injuries while rescuing children from the flames.
“The fire broke out early in the morning and our kids woke us up. The first thing we saw were flames inside our house. All we could do was grab our kids and run. Everything has been burnt down. From food to clothes to all our belongings. We only have the clothes left on our body now,” a resident told Asian News International (ANI).
Police said that an investigation has been launched into the causes of the fire.
In April 2014, a similar huge fire destroyed nearly 500 thatched huts in south Delhi’s Vasant Kunj slums. No casualties were reported.
Fire incidents in the blazing heat are not uncommon in congested slums comprising huts fashioned out of highly flammable discarded items, including wood, plastics and highly flammable tent material.
