New Delhi, Apr 9 (PTI) A fire broke out in a building in central Delhi’s G B Road area but there were no casualties, officials said on Tuesday.
Seven sex workers, two cooks and the owner of a brothel used to live in the building but were not on the premises when the fire broke out around 11 pm on Monday, according to locals.
“After receiving information about the fire, 14 fire tenders were pressed into service. The fire was brought under control after some time. A police investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the fire,” a Delhi Fire Services official said.
However, some of the residents alleged that there was a delayed response from the fire department.
“We kept shouting, ‘jaan chali jayegi tab aaoge kya’,” a sex worker said.
It was a narrow escape for them as they had just come out of the ‘kotha’ when the fire broke out, she said.
“Had the fire started 15 minutes earlier, we all would have been dead,” she said.
The woman said people from a nearby brothel helped them as all their belongings were burned.
According to fire department officials, they got a call about the fire around 10.55 pm and 14 fire tenders were pressed into service. The fire was brought under control after an hour, they said.
A police investigation is underway to ascertain the cause of the fire. “We have cordoned off the area and a forensic team has visited the site,” a senior police officer said.
The sex workers called for government help, saying they lost all of their belongings and money.
“All official documents, ID proofs and money have been reduced to ashes. It would be a big help for us if the government helps us by installing a help desk,” another sex worker said.
G B Road, or Garstin Bastion Road, is a road running from Ajmeri Gate to Lahori Gate in Delhi. It is a red-light district which has many brothels and there are estimated to be over 1,000 sex workers. PTI BM IJT
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.