12 Hours On, Fire Continues To Rage At Market Complex In Odisha’s Puri Town

Puri: Fire continued to rage in the market complex on Grand Road in Odisha’s Puri town on Thursday as firefighters struggled to control the blaze even 12 hours after the incident.

Thick smoke could be seen billowing out of the building this morning as fire spread to the second floor. The narrow passage and closed shops in the market complex have made the task of Fire Service personnel even more difficult, sources said.

Taking stock of the situation, Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh said that they were hopeful of bringing the situation under control in next two to three hours. He also urged people not to panic. 

The fire broke out in a garments shop on the first floor of the market complex around 8.30 pm on Wednesday. The flames soon started spreading to other portions of the building. Three persons sustained injuries in the incident and were hospitalised.

Electricity supply in the locality has been discontinued to prevent any untoward incident.

“Around 90 firefighters and 12 fire dousing vehicles have been pressed into service. It is a challenging task in the absence of an exit and approach road. Efforts are on to douse the flame at the earliest,” said Fire Services DG Santosh Upadhyay.

An electrical short circuit is being suspected to have caused the fire.