According to media reports, a short circuit is believed to have triggered off the incident. The fire department was alerted at around 1:15 am and immediately swung into action, rushing over 20 fire tenders to the spot. Despite, the electricity not being cut off on the incident side, the firemen started to douse the fire to minimize the casualties. Several gas cylinders have also been recovered from the spot which had reportedly caught fire.
Over 400 hundred people living in these shanties have been affected by this fire. The Paschim Puri fire took place a day after 17 people were killed in a fire at a hotel in Karol Bagh.
(This is a developing story and more details are awaited)