AP, New Delhi :
A fire department official says a massive blaze has gutted nearly 500 thatched huts in the Indian capital, but there were no casualties.
Harinder Singh, the official, says 26 fire engines doused the flames that raged for nearly two hours Friday in a southern district of New Delhi.
He says the file forced thousands of poor people to flee their huts in the slum settlement.
The cause of the fire was being investigated, he said.
Fires in shanty townships are common in India as most are built illegally without any safety standards.
