Earphones prove fatal: Man who died in Delhi's shanty fire was talking to wife on phone

New Delhi, Nov 8 (PTI) Munna, a scrap dealer, was engrossed in talking to his wife in West Bengal on the phone when a massive fire began engulfing around 500 shanties in Delhi's Rohini. The earphones blocked out the commotion, robbing him of the opportunity to flee to safety, his family said.

His was, so far, the only death in the fire that reduced the shanties near the Rithala metro station to ashes late on Friday night. Another person sustained burn injuries, with police saying several LPG cylinders had exploded, intensifying the blaze and triggering panic among residents.

Munna's elder sister, Farida Bibi (35), recounted the horrifying moments.

"We were sleeping when the fire started, and everyone began running helter-skelter. My brother was talking to his wife with earphones on. We thought he had escaped, too, but little did we know it was his last call," she told PTI.

The 30-year-old man's wife and six-year-old daughter live in Kolkata, while he worked in Delhi as a scrap dealer to support his widowed mother and family.

Farida Bibi said, "Our father passed away seven years ago. My brother had been working here for 15 years to keep us going. We have lost everything: my brother, our home, and whatever little we had. We urge the government to help us in this time of despair." Another local, Rafiq, said his brother's condition was critical after sustaining severe burns. "He was sleeping near the place where the fire began and couldn't run like us. When I found him, he was completely burnt. I couldn't even recognise him," he said.

The injured man, also a scrap dealer, has a wife, a son and a daughter. "We have nothing left. Everything has been reduced to ashes. We only hope the government helps us in rebuilding our lives," Rafiq added.

An eyewitness, Siraj, who has been living in the settlement for more than two decades, said the fire began around 11 pm, spreading rapidly before anyone could react. "People ran in all directions, breaking walls to escape, because there was no way out. The flames blocked the main exit," he said.

"Now, we are homeless. Thousands of us, most of us migrants from West Bengal, have lost everything. We have nowhere else to go. We are entirely dependent on the government for help," Siraj added.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the fire that erupted late on Friday evening was brought fully under control by deploying adequate teams, and those affected in the incident were being provided relief.

In a post on X, she said the injured were rushed to a hospital, and the relief and rehabilitation work was swift. The affected were provided food and water, and temporary shelters were set up for them, Gupta said.

The Delhi Fire Services said it received a call regarding the blaze at 10.56 pm, following which multiple fire tenders and firefighting robots were rushed to the spot. PTI SSJ NSD NSD