Delhi inferno: 17-year-old girl charred to death, over 100 shanties gutted in Rithala fire

In a tragic incident, a 17-year-old girl was killed and over 100 makeshift dwellings were incinerated after a massive fire erupted in Delhi’s Rithala area during the early hours of Thursday.

The inferno left numerous migrant households displaced as it tore through the congested residential cluster.

The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) was alerted to the conflagration at 4:15 AM. A total of 18 fire engines were dispatched to the scene to fight the flames, which had advanced swiftly throughout the colony.

First responders discovered the scorched remains of the adolescent, identified as Rozina Khatun, among the wreckage once the fire was successfully contained. Her remains were transported to BSA Hospital and subsequently moved to the morgue for a forensic autopsy. Authorities noted that the fire escalated rapidly because of the tight spacing between huts and the availability of highly combustible substances such as plastic layering, timber, and fabric.

The fire additionally reached a neighbouring warehouse storing paper cylinders and cardboard, while the entryways and windows of surrounding residences were also impacted.

"Our teams reached the location soon after the call and began operations. The fire had already engulfed several shanties," a fire official said, according to PTI.

The blaze was brought under control by around 6.30 AM.

The residential area, referred to as Bengali Basti, sheltered migrant workers from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal, who served as day labourers at local manufacturing plants and building sites.

"We ran out to save our lives when the fire started. Within minutes, everything started to burn. Our hut, clothes, money and documents, everything is gone," said Ramesh Kumar, a labourer from Bihar, according to PTI.

A female labourer from West Bengal mentioned the fire demolished everything in moments, leaving the households with only the garments they were dressed in.

"We woke up to screams and saw fire everywhere. We somehow managed to take the children outside. We could not save anything," she said, according to PTI.

Some of the dwellers were observed scouring the ruins, aspiring to locate recoverable belongings.

Officers from the Budh Vihar police station secured the perimeter and helped in the relocation of inhabitants to avoid additional injuries. Approximately 10 medical units were also positioned at the location.

A legal case has been initiated under sections 287 (negligent behavior regarding fire or flammable items), 125(a) (endangering life or individual safety) and 106 (causing fatality by negligence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.