Goonj Delhi Center engulfed in flames

New Delhi: Anshu Gupta, the founder of the well-known NGO Goonj, on Friday posted pictures of a devastating fire at its Delhi center which took place on the night of Diwali and also claimed that it was because of firecrackers.

Gupta posted on Facebook the pictures of the fire at the NGO's Sarita Vihar center and wrote that the fire lasted for about seven hours and was doused by 10 fire tenders.

Here I was asking you to spread the message against (fire) crackers and there a cracker did this to Goonj's center in Delhi. Seven hours of unmanageable fire, 10 fire brigades till 2 a.m. on Diwali night. 3000 sq.ft of area, tonnes of material, where we all had put in our days and nights turned into ash!!

"Response on a few things from our Delhi office might be slow for the next couple of days as the team is fighting back with this huge loss of material, money and space!!" he added.

Gupta also added that they would strive to recover this loss through campaigns.

"We lost materials like winter clothes and blankets. It is a major loss, but I'm sure we will be able to recover it through our ongoing campaigns," he said.

A police officer said that the fire was caused by firecrackers. He said a case has been registered in connection with the accident and loss caused is being assessed.

(Inputs from IANS)