By IANS,
New Delhi : A major fire broke out in a congested electricals and electronics market in old Delhi Thursday evening and firemen battled for three hours to douse it, officials said. At least 20 shops were gutted but no casualties were reported.
“The blaze at Bhagirath Palace in Chandni Chowk area was extinguished completely, three hours after it was reported at around 5.20 p.m., by rigorous effort by our men,” Delhi Fire Service director A.K. Sharma told IANS.
As many as 22 fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and the bustling market was evacuated.
“It is too early to reveal the reason for the fire. It may be due to electrical short circuit,” he said.
“I was inside my shop… I ran outside on hearing the commotion and found a blaze on the second floor of the building,” Ved Prakash, who owns Royal Electricals on the ground floor, told IANS.
At least 20 shops of electronic goods and cables were gutted in the fire that started from second floor and spread to fifth floor of the building.
As many as 1,400 shops are located inside the building, said an officer.
“No one got hurt in the incident. One man was trapped on the first floor, but was later rescued by fire officials,” said an fire officer.