Fire near Delhi's Udyog Bhawan guts 200 labour shanties, no casualties

A fire tore through a cluster of temporary tin-shed labour settlements near Udyog Bhawan in central Delhi early Wednesday, destroying roughly 200 structures, a Delhi Fire Services official said.

The DFS got a call at 3:02 a.m. reporting a fire in an electric panel near the jhuggis. The blaze spread fast through the densely packed shanties, which held LPG cylinders. Nineteen fire-fighting vehicles – water tenders, bowsers and specialised units – were sent in, up from the initial two. Crews brought the fire under control around 5:30 a.m.

No injuries or casualties were reported. The cause is still under investigation.

Udyog Bhawan, built in the late 1950s, is being demolished as part of the Central Vista redevelopment programme. Neighbouring Nirman Bhawan was already taken down.