On Wednesday evening, a massive fire reduced a labourers’ settlement near Sector-12 in Vikas Nagar, Lucknow, to ashes.
The fire, which broke out in a single hut, rapidly escalated into a massive inferno, destroying the homes and the life savings of over 500 families. Victims allege that fire tenders arrived a full hour after they reported the incident.
Domestic gas cylinders stored inside the huts began exploding one after another, sounding like bombs. According to residents, approximately 100 cylinders exploded during the incident. This series of explosions inside the huts sent shockwaves of terror through the entire locality. Residents attempted to extinguish the fire themselves, but strong winds, combined with the huts’ construction from plastic sheeting and tarpaulins, allowed the flames to engulf the entire settlement within minutes.
While many people fled to save their own lives amidst the ensuing chaos, authorities recovered the bodies of two sisters – a toddler and an infant – on Thursday evening. Labourers also claim the flames killed their livestock.
The victims are directing their anger at the administration and the local fire department. They maintain that the hour-long delay proved fatal. By the time help arrived, the flames had grown so intense that even a fleet of 22 fire tenders took hours to bring the blaze under control.
Anil Kumar, a native of Bihar, had lived in this settlement for the last 30 years. The inferno, he claimed, consumed the Rs 3.5 lakh he had saved up to buy a plot of land. Alleging foul play, Anil told Newslaundry, “Someone set this fire deliberately; it did not start accidentally.”
The exact cause of the fire remains unknown. After inspecting the site, Lucknow District Magistrate Vishakh G. Iyer handed over the investigation to the Chief Fire Officer. However, a key question still lingers: Was this merely an accident, or was there a larger conspiracy at play – perhaps aimed at clearing the land?
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