11 people were killed and four injured in a massive fire that broke out at a paint and chemical godowns in outer Delhi's Alipur on Thursday evening, news ANI reported, citing the fire department.
“The fire was in two paint and chemical godowns, resulting in the death of 11 persons and 4 injured. The deceased have been moved to Babu Jagjeevan Ram Hospital and the four injured persons have been moved to Raja Harish Chandra Hospital,” the fire department
According to the Delhi Police, the fire was preceded by a blast, probably caused by chemicals kept in the factory.
Due to the blast, some nearby houses and shops also caught fire. Some of the injured persons were residing in those places, news agency PTI reported.
An unidentified Delhi Fire Services (DFS) official told the news agency that a call about the incident was received at 5.25pm. At least 22 fire-tenders were pressed into service.
The blaze was brought under control by 9 pm, the fire official said, adding that the cooling-off operation is underway.
“The incident took place at around 5:30 pm. Everyone gathered here after hearing an explosion,” an eyewitness, identified as Sumit Bharadwaj told ANI. "We tried a lot to douse the fire. Around 7-8 fire tenders (initially) reached here and started the fire fighting operation..