Fourth fire in scrap market in two weeks, probe sought

NEW DELHI - A fire broke out Saturday in the Mundka scrap market in west Delhi - the fourth in the area in the last two weeks, prompting fire service officials to seek a probe into the incidents.

“Twenty-six fire tenders were rushed to the spot,” a Delhi Fire Service (DFS) official said, adding it took over two hours to control the blaze. No injuries were reported, the official added.

A major fire engulfed a plastic scrap market in Mundka April 11 and another blaze erupted in the market April 13. Another fire broke out April 14, gutting two warehouses and destroying scrap with crores of rupees.

DFS Director R.C. Sharma hinted at the possibility of the fires being deliberate and said he wanted a police inquiry.

“We want a police inquiry into the fire incidents. We will send them (Delhi Police) a report Monday,” Sharma told IANS.

According to a senior police official, the recurring fires have raised doubts. “We will definitely look into the matter once the (DFS) report comes in,” he said.

–Indo Asian News Service