Patna: A total of 137 fire incidents, including 133 minor and four major, were reported across the state on Diwali. Muzaffarpur district registered a maximum of 15 fire incidents followed by 14 in Vaishali.
Additional district fire officer, Ajay Kumar, said awoman died in a cylinder explosion in Saharsa district. “Three people were injured in a similar blast in Muzaffarpur district.”
Three fire incidents were reported in Patna district, including one each in Alamganj, Chowk and Kanti factory area.
A fire broke out at two different places in the Patna City area. Property worth Rs 15lakh was gutted in the fire incident at furniture shops in Alamganj police station area in Patna City, while goods worth Rs 5lakh were destroyed at a toy shop in the Chowk police station area.
According to the police, a fire broke out around 11pm on Thursday night in two furniture shops-cum-godown near Devi Sthan in Math Laxmanpur Koyari Tola under Alamganj police station area of Patna City. The fire quickly spread and engulfed two factories. As many as six fire vehicles arrived at the spot and managed to control the blaze after six hours of efforts. The two shops were completely reduced to ashes.
Alamganj SHO, Rajeev Kumar, said, “The cause of the fire is still not known. One of the shopkeepers filed a complaint of loss of Rs 7 lakh, while another estimated a loss of around Rs 8 lakh.”
In another incident, a fire broke out in a toy shop on Harmandir Lane in the Chowk police station area of Patna City. Local residents tried to control the fire on their own but were unsuccessful. The fire brigade team arrived at the place and managed to control the fire after hours of effort. “An investigation is underway to know the cause of the fire. No written application has been received so far. However, the loss is estimated to be around Rs 5 lakh,” said Chowk Station in-charge, Shashi Kumar Rana.
Meanwhile, a major incident was averted by Patna police in Kotwali police station area, where a leakage occurred in the PNG line near Income Tax roundabout on Thursday night. “The police barricaded the spot and informed the fire brigade as well as the PNG supply company,” said Manoj Kumar Nat, district fire officer.