Fire Breaks Out At Slum Cluster In Gurugram, 65 Shanties Destroyed

About 65 shanties were gutted after a major fire broke out in local slum cluster in sector 65 here on Saturday, a fire official said.

Initial investigations have revealed the cause of the fire was a cooking gas leakage, the official said.

According to police, a fire broke out in the sector 65 area around 10 am. Five fire engines were immediately pressed into the service, they said, adding that the blaze was brought under control but 65 shanties were gutted.

There were no casualties or burn injuries reported, the police said.

After receiving the information, DCP South Siddhant Jain and his team reached the spot and evacuated many people, including small children, from the shanties.

A senior police officer said these shanties were built by three persons -- Ombir, Shyambir and Sagar, residents of Ramgarh village -- who later handed them over to contractor Hamid, a native of West Bengal. Hamid used to rent out these shanties to migrants, charging Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000 per month, the officer said.

"During investigations, it was revealed that this entire construction was done illegally and no safety norms were followed. This incident happened due to the negligence of these people and an FIR has been registered against these four individuals under the relevant sections of the IPC at sector 65 police station," DCP Jain said.

Two weeks back, 300 huts in sector 54 were also gutted in a similar incident.

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