Keonjhar: A fire destroyed more than 10 shops near Maa Tarini Temple in Ghatagaon early on Wednesday, causing damages worth lakhs of rupees.
Fire services personnel rushed to the spot after receiving information from locals and successfully contained the blaze. Preliminary investigation suggests that a short circuit in one of the shops may have triggered the fire around 12:30 am, which then spread rapidly to neighbouring establishments.
This is not the first such incident. A similar fire had broken out near gate no. 3 of the temple a few months ago, raising concerns among the local shopkeepers about safety measures.
"We are demanding immediate rehabilitation and relocation to prevent such incidents in the future," said a affected shopkeeper, expressing concern about the recurring fires near the shrine.
Temple authorities and local administration are yet to make an official statement about the incident. A detailed investigation is underway to determine the exact cause of fire.