Yesterday around 5 pm Malviya Nagar had a fire break out from a rubber godown and quickly spread so much that according to reports it was rated in the highest category fire with the fire department sending out more than 30 fire engines in order to bring the fire under control.
As per reports, the fire first started out from a truck that was parked near the Sant Nirankari School and eventually spread to the rubber godown near it and officials from the fire department even said that there is a big possibility that the fire could spread out to nearby areas.
Now, after almost 20 hours, the fire was finally put out with the help of a Mi-17 Air Force helicopter which poured out several sorties of water onto the burning area in order to contain the extent of the fire’s reach.
Difficult For The Fire Department
The small and narrow lanes were difficult for the fire department to navigate due to congestion and one firefighter was even injured as per reports.
The fire had already spread to a residential building that was beside the godown, however, fortunately, it was empty and in the meantime, people from the other buildings around the affected area were quickly evacuated and the area was shut off for the normal public.
As per sources, about 13 buildings, a gym and the school that the truck was parked near have been evacuated till now.
The fire reached such an extent that smoke was visible from as far as a 5-kilometer distance away. Residents from other areas like Saket, Greater Kailash, and even Nehru Place have stated to seeing smoke clouds from that direction.
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As many as 65 tenders had been trying to put out the fire since yesterday with about 5 tenders containing dry chemical power or DCP foam used to contain the fire.
Along with all this, a case was registered at the Malviya Nagar police station under Sections 335 and 258 of Indian Penal Code.
The cause of the fire spreading so quickly and so much could have been the double attack of the truck containing inflammable products and the proximity of the godown that had rubber raw material stored for the rethreading of tyres of vehicles.
Adequate medical services were rushed to the service of the victims with hospitals like Safdarjung Hospital, Max Hospital Saket, AIIMS and more also on alert for any emergency situations.
Along with that, authorities like the Delhi Fire Services, local police and the Delhi Disaster Management Authority were all helping out with managing and keeping the crowds calm, rescue missions and evacuation of people.
Apart from that one firefighter though, till yet no casualty has been reported which could mean that the evacuation was done properly and in time.
A big help came from the Air Force and civil defence teams with the Mi-17 helicopter supplied from the Indian Air Force making 3 drives with specialized buckets to put out the fire. The buckets named ‘bambi buckets’ are said to be capable of carrying about 2500 liters of water at a single time.
The fire will also understandably affect the water availability in and around the affected areas. The Delhi Jal Board has even bought out a notice alerting the residents nearby that there might a water shortage in South Delhi.
Especially the water supply of Thursday could be affected largely seeing how a lot of water was used to put out the fire. Residents have been advised to use water very carefully and not waste it for at least a few days.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: NDTV, The Hindu, The Indian Express + more
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