New Delhi, May 23: A massive fire erupted late last night at a furniture market in the Shastri Park area of Northeast Delhi. The blaze quickly spread, causing panic among shopkeepers and local residents. Frustration grew as fire engines arrived late, leading to protests from the community.
According to fire department officials, the Delhi Fire Service received reports of the fire around 11:57 PM on Friday night. By 1:20 AM, approximately 25 fire engines had reached the scene and were actively working to extinguish the flames.
The fire rapidly engulfed multiple shops, filling the area with thick smoke. Preliminary estimates suggest that damages could reach into the crores, as numerous furniture units and goods were destroyed.
Local residents expressed their anger as they watched their shops burn. Some even resorted to throwing stones at the fire personnel’s vehicles.
One firefighter on the scene reported, “People damaged our vehicles. They are not allowing us to work. What can we do? Police should be sent here. We arrived after receiving an emergency call.”
However, residents accused officials of a delayed response to the emergency. One local claimed, “The fire had been raging for three hours. Initially, the fire department did not arrive after we reported it. Later, two fire engines came, but one had only half a tank of water and a damaged hose.”
Another resident alleged that the fire was intentionally set, suggesting a conspiracy behind the incident. “Many of our acquaintances have shops here. The losses are in crores. This fire was deliberately started and was a premeditated plot for political reasons,” he stated.
Meanwhile, teams from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) and Delhi Police have arrived at the site to investigate the cause of the fire. Officials confirmed that forensic experts are examining the area. Fortunately, there have been no reports of casualties, although efforts to fully control the fire continued for several hours.
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