NEW DELHI: Several shops were gutted after a massive blaze swept through a shoe market in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh in the wee hours of Sunday. The fire was so massive that 39 fire tenders had to be called into action. More than 200 firefighters struggled for more than four hours to douse the flames. Officials said no one was seriously injured in the fire and the cooling operation was underway.
Delhi Fire Services (DFS) Director Atul Garg said a call regarding the fire at Rani Jhansi market was received at 4.16 am and 39 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. He said none of the shops that caught fire had an NOC from the fire department. The cause of the fire is not known yet, the officials said.
Firefighters faced difficulty in reaching the spot as it was in a narrow lane. “Lots of loose wires were hanging in the market which is dangerous and causes inconvenience too. There was a shortage of water resources. The construction of the building is weak, so the structures have developed cracks,” Garg said.
The market houses wholesale footwear shops and around 7 of them were gutted in the fire, said the police. Besides local police and Delhi Fire Services personnel, staff from CATS ambulance, Delhi Civil Defence, Delhi Disaster Management Authority and traffic police were present at the spot. DM Central and SDM Karol Bagh have also physically inspected the spot.