Bathinda, November 5

A major fire broke out at six stalls of firecrackers at Jalal village in Bathinda on Thursday. The entire stock at the stalls got damaged . However, no loss of life was reported in the incident. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.

The administration had instructed the traders to keep water and sand and a fire extinguisher at each stall. But giving two hoots to the instructions, safety measures were missing at various markets. Stalls could also be seen next to each other in small lanes, sans any fire safety equipment. A fire department official, said: “This year, many shopkeepers had installed stalls in residential areas, making the situation challenging. — TNS