SURAT: A massive fire broke out in a four-storey textile market in Surat city on Wednesday morning, for the second time in less than 24 hours, an official said.
Efforts to douse the flames were underway and several of more than 800 shops located in the building were damaged though no casualty has been reported so far, a fire department official said.
Earlier on Tuesday afternoon, a fire broke out in the building's basement where textile stock was stored, leading to the death of a worker due to asphyxiation, he said, adding that it was brought under control after a few hours.
Around 30 fire tenders and dozens of personnel have been deployed to bring the fresh blaze under control, the official said.
While the exact cause of the fire was being ascertained, prima facie it appears to have started on the top floor due to a short circuit, he said.
Thick plumes of smoke were seen rising from the building.
President of the Federation Of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA) Kailash Hakim said the situation was serious.
"Teams of the fire department, police and FOSTTA are busy fighting the fire that continues to rage. The situation is grave. But firefighters from across the city have reached here and we pray to God that the situation comes under control at the earliest," he said.