Delhi Haat traders blame lack of fire safety: 'Lost entire life's savings'

The vibrant corridors of Dilli Haat wore a charred and silent look on Thursday morning after a massive fire broke out late Tuesday night, gutting at least 30 shops.

Morning visuals from the iconic open-air market in South Delhi revealed the extent of the damage, with rows of damaged stalls and charred debris scattered across pathways.

The fire, which broke out around Wednesday night, spread rapidly through the tightly packed rows of kiosks, many of them made with wood and cardboard.

Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg, in a statement, said, "We received a call regarding a fire at the Dilli Haat Market at 8.55 pm, and 14 fire engines were rushed to the spot. A total of 30 shops were gutted. The fire has been extinguished, and no injuries were reported".

Smoke was seen billowing from several shops, and flames leapt towards the sky as the blaze swept the open-air art and craft mart.

Dilli Haat fire: 30 shops gutted, no casualties

At least 30 shops were gutted in the massive fire at the Dilli Haat, a popular market in south Delhi's INA area, on Wednesday night, the Delhi Fire Services said.

The area was immediately evacuated, and fire tenders managed to bring the blaze under control, it added.

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Delhi Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra, who reached the site soon after the fire was brought under control, informed that there were no casualties in the incident.

Mishra, the Minister of Art, Culture and Language, in a post on X said, "The fire at Dilli Haat has been brought under control. While several shops have been gutted, by the grace of God, there are no reports of any casualty. I am at Dilli Haat to meet those affected."

Shopkeepers suffer massive losses

While one of the shop owners claimed that goods worth at least ₹10 crore have been destroyed, another, Shauket Ahmed, said that he alone suffered a loss of at least ₹1.5 crore.

"We don't know how the fire broke out, but we could not save anything," he said.

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The owner of shop no. 4 said, "I have lost my entire life’s savings. We had set up this stall by taking a loan. Everything we earned over the years is gone."

Traders allege a lack of fire safety arrangements

Talking to PTI, some shopkeepers claimed that there were no proper fire safety arrangements in place at the market.

Vijai Kumar, who sells Madhubani paintings, said the fire spread rapidly due to the lack of firefighting equipment like fire extinguishers.

"It took the fire brigade nearly one and a half hours to reach. There were no adequate arrangements in place to help us respond to such an emergency," Kumar said.

The traders said the fire broke out at around 8.30 pm, possibly due to a short circuit.

(with PTI inputs)