At least three people sustained injuries and around 150 hutments were gutted, after a major fire broke out in the Jahangirpuri area of Northwest District late on Tuesday.

The police said the fire started around 10.30 pm. Residents, who were reportedly upset with the police for arriving late at the spot, went on a rampage and set a police jeep on fire.

The police said at least 25 fire tenders were pressed into service and only managed to douse the blaze after midnight. The injured were admitted to Babu Jagjivan Ram Hospital. “The reason for the fire is yet to be ascertained but it seems it started because of firecrackers,” a fire official said.

“It was a major fire. There were hundreds of shanties abutting each other, due to which the flames spread quickly,” the official said.

Raj Kumar, a resident, said, “I lost everything in the fire. We called the fire officials many times but they arrived after 45 minutes.” Kumar works as a labourer in the Jahangirpuri area.

He said if fire service officials had reached the spot on time, his belongings could have been saved.

The police and fire officials, however, denied the allegations and eight people have been arrested for setting the police jeep ablaze. Senior police officers said: “They set a police vehicle on fire and hurled stones at police vans and fire tenders. At least four firemen sustained minor injuries in the stone pelting.”