Massive fire destroys 25 shops in Bamboo Bazaar, loss put at Rs 12 cr

While the lockdown is certain to have an adverse impact on the finances of all households, shopowners here have been dealt a double blow.
Fire services personnel douse flames at Bengaluru’s Bamboo Bazaar, where a fire broke out on Thursday  | shriram b n
Fire services personnel douse flames at Bengaluru’s Bamboo Bazaar, where a fire broke out on Thursday | shriram b n

BENGALURU: A massive fire broke out at Bamboo Bazaar in Shivajinagar at 3am on Thursday morning, damaging 25 shops and completely gutting 13. It took 17 fire tenders almost 12 hours to bring the blaze under control.As soon as word about the fire spread, police rushed to the spot for crowd control and ensured there was no panic.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao visited the area and said, “We are not yet sure how the fire broke out. Many of the shops are more than 50 years old and owners do not have insurance. However, there is no loss of life or any injury.”

Shamshia Ahmed, resident of Bamboo Bazar said, “I was awake for prayers and I could see fire through my window. People started coming out of their houses and one of them called up shop owners and fire services. The fire was massive. I thought it would affect our house too and called my relatives for help. However, fire services reached here and assured us that no one should panic and they would bring it under control.”

While the lockdown is certain to have an adverse impact on the finances of all households, shopowners here have been dealt a double blow.

Wasiq Pasha said, “Everyone was looking forward to opening their stores after the lockdown but we didn’t know this would happen.”He estimates that business es sustained a total loss of around Rs 10-12 crore.
Naveed Shafi, whose shop Prominent Timbers has been around for 65 years, said, “My grandfather started this shop. I took over from my father. I had stock of timber, plywood worth Rs 35 lakh. All of it has now gone.”

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The New Indian Express
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