Delhi: Fire breaks out at cargo warehouse in Rangpuri; goods worth crores destroyed

New Delhi, Mar 5 (PTI) A fire broke out at a cargo warehouse in Delhi’s Rangpuri area near the airport on Thursday, an official of the Delhi Fire Services said.

No casualties were reported in the incident, he said, adding that a call regarding the blaze was received around 10.10 am, following which fire tenders were rushed to the spot.

“We immediately rushed nine fire tenders to the spot to douse the flames. No injuries have been reported so far,” the officer said.

The fire broke out at a warehouse belonging to a cargo firm where consignments arriving from different parts of the country and abroad are stored and dispatched.

The blaze was intense and firefighting operation is ongoing. Workers at the warehouse said the facility was closed in the morning due to Holi celebrations when the fire broke out.

Faizal, a worker at the warehouse, said they reached the facility later in the day and found it engulfed in flames.

“Due to Holi celebrations, we came late and saw that the warehouse had caught fire. It could possibly be due to a short circuit, but nothing can be said with certainty. Police are investigating the cause,” he said.

He claimed that more than 800 cargo packets were destroyed in the fire and estimated the loss to be around Rs 5 crore, though the exact value is yet to be ascertained.

Another worker said the fire is suspected to have started around 8.30 am when the warehouse was closed for the festival.

“Goods worth crores have been destroyed. This is a cargo warehouse and a water motor was running there. It is possible that the fire may have started because of it,” he said.

The exact cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained and Delhi Police are investigating the matter. PTI BM SSJ SSJ DV DV