Over 300 slum houses gutted in major fire in Indian capital

A major fire gutted over 300 houses in a slum in the Indian capital Monday, a senior police official said.

However, only one person has suffered minor burn injuries in the incident and he is currently under treatment in a hospital, the official said, on condition of anonymity.

"The fire broke out in Mangolpuri area early in the morning and it took fire fighters nearly two hours to douse the flames," the official said.

Local TV channels reported that over 1,500 residents of the slum managed to get out of their houses on time, which helped avert a major disaster.

Delhi's Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has ordered officials to provide immediate relief to the victims and urged his anti-corruption Aam Aadmi Party volunteers to help them.

"Sad to learn abt fire in jhuggis (slum houses). Fire tenders working to douse fire. Hv directed officials to provide immediate relief," he tweeted.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, the official said, adding preliminary investigation has revealed that a short-circuit triggered the fire. Enditem