BHUBANESWAR: At least 10 shops were gutted and 16 others affected after a massive fire broke out in the Unit-I vegetable market here on Wednesday afternoon. However, no injury was reported in the incident.
As per initial investigation, the fire broke out at around 2 pm. Initially, local shopkeepers attempted to douse the blaze and the fire services department was informed only at around 2.40 pm when they failed to do so. Around 11 fire tenders rushed to the spot and brought the blaze under control within 30 minutes.
“There was a petrol pump and a hotel nearby and it was very important to control the fire from spreading further. A total of 26 shops were affected in the fire accident, of which 10 were severely affected. The operation was monitored by DG Fire Services Sudhansu Sarangi and DIG Uma Shankar Dash from the command centre here,” said a fire officer.
He further added that a probe has been launched to ascertain the reason behind the mishap. Sources said the fire possibly broke out either due to a short circuit or because of the flames as some people were cooking food nearby. The shopkeepers who sustained huge losses have demanded compensation from the authorities.