Amritsar: 15 shanties gutted in Mohkampura

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 7

At least 15 shanties were gutted after fire broke out in New Preet Nagar area under Mohkampura police station on Sunday.

Though no loss of life was reported, a cracker explosion led to the fire, which spread within seconds due to the presence of plastic waste collected by ragpickers living in the slums.

Absence of roads and narrow lanes delayed the arrival of fire engine near the spot. Munna Ram, a local, said goods worth Rs 12 lakh were destroyed in the fire. He said around Rs 70,000 and his mobile phones also fell in flames as he along with other residents was trying to extinguish fire.

“Fire engines reached very late due to which many shanties were gutted,” he said. Mandeep Singh, who was accompanying a fire engine, said due to low hanging wires and narrow lanes, it became very difficult for the fire engine to reach near the spot. He said the situation was under control now.

Avtar Singh, SHO, Mohkampura police station, said as per preliminary probe, a firecracker led to the incident. Huge quantity of plastic collected by locals enabled fire to spread fast. He said the fire was brought under control and no life was lost in the incident.