By IANS
Ranchi : Nearly 100 shops were gutted in a major fire that broke out in a wholesale fruit market in Jamshedpur town of Jharkhand early Monday, the police said.
The exact cause of the fire, which broke out at about 3.45 a.m., is not known but the police believe that a short circuit might have triggered it.
The police said it took 10 fire brigade five hours to extinguish the fire at the Bistupur wholesale fruit market. By then about 100 shops were completely gutted, causing losses of up to Rs.7.5 million.
Business worth about Rs.1 million is done at the market everyday.
The shop owners have blamed the district administration and the late arrival of the fire brigade for the huge loss.
“Two fire brigade vehicles came to the spot after one and half hours. Both the vehicles had no water and went back to fill it. A serious effort to extinguish the fire only began after two hours,” said Mohammad Saiful, whose shop was gutted.