SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Nov 26: At least 11 shops were completely reduced to ashes during a fire incident that took place at Steel Gate-based vegetable market on the side of National High-32 under Saraidhela police station late Friday night.
Fire fighting department Inspector Laxman Prasad said that after getting information about 2 am on Saturday, the team reached the spot and completely controlled the fire from spreading during the half-hour rescue operation.
Since in the vegetable market different shops and makeshift huts were closely connected, the fire could have caused massive loss of property but local people and the fire fighting team acted timely to check it.
Having seen sheets of flame billowing out from market premises, local people informed the shop owners and jumped for dousing. Fire fighting team also reached the spot but before they acted 11 shops had already been gutted.
The reason for the fire is yet to be known. Victims traders express apprehension that firecrackers fired by the marriage party might have caused the incident. Affected shopkeepers said that an assessment of damage in the fire is being done but the initial report said goods worth over Rs 15 lakh were gutted in it.
In two years, this is the second time a fire has destroyed the vegetable market at Steel Gate. In March 2020 (on Holi festival), a fire gutted the market. The market is on the land of a medical college but has been illegally encroached upon by vegetable shopkeepers, book stalls, tea shops, saloons, sweets shops, restaurants, shoe shops and others.
