NEW DELHI: A major fire broke out in a building in central Delhi’s Jhandewalan area on Tuesday, engulfing several vehicles in flames, Fire Services officials said. Sources reported that eight cars and four motorcycles were burnt in the incident.
“We received information about the blaze at 2:27 PM near Metro Station, Jhandewalan Extension. A total of 25 fire tenders were rushed to the spot,” a fire official said.
The official further stated that the fire occurred in a three-story building. No casualties have been reported so far, and officials are assessing the number of offices on the premises. The building housed a private bank and it’s ATM on the ground and first floors, along with a pizza outlet on the ground floor—all of which were completely gutted in the fire. While no one was injured, several vehicles caught fire after burning hoardings fell on them.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) M. Harsha Vardhan confirmed that the fire broke out in the Anarkali building in Jhandewalan.
“A fire also broke out in the DDA shopping complex in Jhandewalan. Firefighters and police personnel are at the spot. Some vehicles parked nearby have also caught fire. There is no information about anyone being trapped, but this will be verified once the fire is fully doused,” the DCP said.
According to fire officials, the blaze was brought under control at 4:15 PM, and cooling operations were underway. Eyewitnesses reported seeing thick smoke emerging from the building around 2:30 PM. One eyewitness, Ajay, a branch manager at a private bank, said he lost his car in the fire.
“I am least bothered about my car. I was more worried about the workers inside the pizza outlet. I immediately rushed to the site and helped them evacuate,” Ajay added.
In another incident, a fire broke out in slum clusters in northeast Delhi’s Shastri Park area. Authorities received the alert at 7:35 AM, and seven fire tenders were dispatched to New Seelampur, near Jag Parvesh Chand Hospital.
The fire, which affected two huts, was brought under control by 8:15 AM, with no injuries reported.
Additionally, fire officials reported another blaze in a parking lot in northeast Delhi’s Shastri Park area on Tuesday, where several vehicles were engulfed. The fire originated from plastic materials near the fish market in Shastri Park. Two fire tenders were dispatched to the scene.