New Delhi: A 30-year-old scrap dealer died after being unable to hear the commotion of a massive blaze that gutted around 500 shanties near the Rithala Metro station in Delhi’s Rohini on Friday night. The man, identified as Munna, was reportedly talking to his wife on the phone using earphones when the fire broke out, his family said. 

Munna’s death is the only fatality reported so far in the incident, which also left one person severely injured. Police said multiple LPG cylinders exploded, fuelling the fire and causing panic among residents trying to flee the densely packed settlement.

Munna’s sister, Farida Bibi (35), recalled the tragic moments leading up to his death.

“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.

Munna had been living in Delhi for 15 years, earning a livelihood as a scrap dealer to support his widowed mother and family in West Bengal. His wife and six-year-old daughter live in Kolkata.

“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,” Farida said.

Another resident, Rafiq, said his brother suffered severe burns and was in critical condition. “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, adding that his brother, also a scrap dealer, has a wife and two children.

Eyewitnesses said the fire began around 11 p.m. and spread rapidly before anyone could respond. “People ran in all directions, breaking walls to escape, because there was no way out. The flames blocked the main exit,” said Siraj, a long-time resident of the settlement.

“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,” he added.

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the fire was brought under control after firefighting teams and robots were deployed to the scene. In a post on X, she confirmed that those injured had been taken to hospital and relief efforts were underway.

“The affected are being provided food, water, and temporary shelters,” Gupta said.

According to the Delhi Fire Services, they received a call about the blaze at 10:56 p.m. and immediately dispatched multiple fire tenders to the site. The cause of the fire is being investigated. (PTI)