Major fire at plastic scrap market in Delhi

A massive fire broke out in Mundka in northwest Delhi early this morning, engulfing an over one-kilometre long area, but no casualties have been reported.

The fire, which officials said was "deliberately" ignited by someone, broke out at around 2.18am at Phirni Road in Mundka and 30 fire tenders are still struggling to contain it.

"The incident occurred in an open area where a lot of scrap is kept, and an estimated 50 cylinders burst due to the fire, further augmenting it," an official from Delhi's fire Department said.

The fire spread to an area 1.5 km long and 200 yards wide, but fortunately there is no residential colony in the vicinity, he said.

"The fire, we believe, was ignited deliberately by one or two persons. Fortunately, there was no casualties," the official said.

The firefighters, who reached the site after receiving information about the incident, were struggling to extinguish the flames throughout the early hours of the day.

Officials said they have succeeded in containing the spread, but it will take more time to put it down completely.

The city has witnessed a number of fire incidents in recent days.

A major fire broke out yesterday in a container depot Delhi, one of the biggest such facilities in Asia, which destroyed 24 of the 25 warehouses that store goods worth crores meant for exports.

Around 600 hutments were gutted and two persons injured on April 8 when a major power transmission line fell down on an east Delhi slum, triggering a massive fire.

On April 2, four major fire incidents were reported from the city, including one at former union minister Ram Vilas Paswan's residence and another at the income tax office.