2 dead, 8 injured in Yamuna Pushta slum fire

NEW DELHI: Two persons were killed and eight injured in a fire that displaced about 6,000 slum dwellers in Yamuna Pushta in Kotwali on Wednesday afternoon.
According to police, about 1,000 slum clusters were gutted in the fire that erupted at about 3.25 pm in Sanjay Amar Colony and it took 20 fire tenders over an hour to put out the flames.
Deputy commissioner of police (north), Sanjay Baniwal, said: "Among the deceased was a 70-year-old woman, Champa.The other was Abrar (22) who was charred beyond recognition." Baniwal said eight persons including two children received minor burns. Four of them were discharged after first aid. The remaining four were admitted to Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan Hospital.
The DCP said more than 6,000 slum dwellers have been displaced by the fire. The police is yet to ascertain the cause, but said that it might have started from the friction of material lying in the jhuggis.
"We are trying to ascertain if the fire started from the house of a family whose four members were injured in the fire," said a police officials.
Witnesses said that a man from this family is also missing. People fear that he may be dead but the police is yet to confirm this.
The DCP said tented accommodation has been provided to the fire victims. In another incident, at least 300 slum dwellings were destroyed in a "medium fire" in East Kidwai Nagar area of south Delhi in the early hours of Wednesday. One person was injured in the fire.
Fire officials said over 35 fire tenders battled for over three hours to douse the fire which broke out at 3.10 am at the Bengali Camp slum clusters.