New Delhi: Rozina had almost escaped the fire, but she wanted to save her new Eid dress too. She went back into the burning jhuggi that was her home, and never emerged. The 17-year-old’s charred body was found later when the Delhi Fire Service put the flames out. In outer Delhi’s Rithala, the fire engulfed over 100 jhuggis on Thursday around 4.15 am. Rozina’s mother Aadina (38) wailed inconsolably. The girl’s aunt, Zarina (45), broke down while recounting how they lost her. “She had managed to step out when the fire broke out, but ran back in to retrieve a new outfit she had bought for Eid,” she said. Rozina’s younger sister has suffered burns on her feet.About 15 fire tenders and 75 fighters battled the blaze in the cluster near Rithala metro station and brought it under control by 7.25 am.In all, three people were reported dead in two fires that broke out in Delhi’s Rithala and Paharganj, where two labourers were killed.DFS officials said a cardboard and paper godown in Rithala may have fuelled the blaze. The fire also spread to a gasket factory adjacent to the cluster, which had a large quantity of scrap. Residents said that before the fire on Thursday morning, the cluster had seen only minor fires, never any disaster of such a scale.In the jhuggi, Shabnam (12) and Meera (13) sat with the charred remains of five puppies they had fostered. They also held burnt pages of their school books. Neither of the girls could appear for their exams on Thursday. Last Nov, a fire had broken out in another jhuggi cluster nearby. Two people had died in that blaze.On Thursday, govt officials on the spot said shelter would be provided to the people, but residents said that they did not want to leave the area for fear that the scrap they could salvage and sell might get stolen.Some residents had broken the jhuggis with rods and hammers and even jumped over adjoining houses to escape the flames. “Many people were injured in the chaos. Some also suffered burns,” said factory worker Sameer-ul (22). The residents said the fire started near the entry gate of the settlement. They alleged foul play. Police said a probe was on to ascer-tain what caused the blaze. A case was filed at the Budh Vihar police station.In another incident, two labourers were found charred to death after a fire broke out inside a toy godown in central Delhi’s Paharganj on Wednesday evening.The fire started on the first and second floors of a four-storey building around 4.37 pm and spread to the third floor. A temporary structure had been erected on the terrace of the third floor, where the charred bodies were found. Fifteen fire tenders with about 75 personnel put out the blaze. Plastic and rubber used in the toys seemed to spread the fire. It was brought under control by 3.20 am.Delhi Fire Service officials said that during the operation, some angry local people and labourers threw stones at the firefighters. One official said, “Out of anger, they threw stones and even broke the window of one of our vehicles.”Officials said the situation calmed after police intervened. A probe is under way to ascertain the cause of the fire and establish the sequence of events.
