Bhubaneswar: A massive fire engulfed the underground market near Unit-I market building the city on Thursday night. While there was no casualty in the incident, around 20-25 garment shops in the market were gutted. After getting information, firefighters reached the spot and managed to bring the blaze under control after an hour-long operation. Sources said an electrical short circuit might have triggered the fire. Merchandise worth lakhs of rupees was destroyed in the blaze.
“According to a preliminary analysis, the fire seems to have originated in a sari shop within the market and spread swiftly. Two fire tenders were deployed to control the blaze,” deputy fire officer Abani Swain said.
Initial findings indicate that several other shops sustained partial damage. “We spotted the blaze and alerted the fire services. They arrived promptly and extinguished the blaze,” said Siddhant Jena, a local shopkeeper.
Market Building is one of the city’s most frequented shopping centres.