BHUBANESWAR: More than 20 fruit shops were reduced to ashes after a major fire broke out at a market near Kalpana square in Bhubaneswar late last night. Goods worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed in the incident.
Speaking to Express, one of the shopkeepers said, "I closed my shop at 11 pm and the staff were sleeping inside. At about 12 am, they realized that the shops in the vending zone had caught fire, following which they rushed outside and informed the fire service personnel." Out of 33 shops, about 23 are completely damaged in the blaze, he added.
Another shopkeeper said that he was informed about the massive fire accident by his staff but by the time he arrived, the blaze had started spreading rapidly.
About two firefighting vehicles were rushed to the spot to douse the blaze. "According to the preliminary investigation, it seems the fire erupted due to a short circuit in one of the shops. However, investigation is on from all angles," a fire personnel said.
In the morning, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) vehicles were sent to the spot to remove the damaged fruits and other articles from the area.