New Delhi: The massive fire at Malviya Nagar in South Delhi, that broke out on Tuesday afternoon, continued to rage for over 18 hours and around 90 fire department vehicles and an IAF chopper had to be pushed into action to bring it under control at 0700 hours on Wednesday morning, official sources said here.
The fire, that broke out in a truck loaded with rubber compounds parked outside the plastic and rubber godown, later spread to the factory due to the strong winds in the evening. It turned into a massive blaze which was visible from neighbouring areas of South Delhi.
Plastic and other materials that were stored in the godown or the said factory aggravated the fire, said an official. Thirteen buildings, one school and a gym were evacuated as a precautionary measure, the police said.
An Indian Air Force chopper with bambi bucket was also deployed on Wednesday from Palam Airport to fight the fire from air, to make the fire fighting operation more effective.
"We have launched a Mi-17 helicopter for Bambi operations from Palam to try and contain fire at Malviya Nagar godown," the Indian Air Force said in a statement.
Bambi bucket is a specialised bucket suspended on a cable carried by a chopper to deliver water for aerial firefighting.
