Bhubaneswar: A devastating fire ripped through the bustling Unit-1 Market, the Odisha capital’s biggest retail and wholesale hub, late on Monday, destroying more than 40 shops and causing losses estimated in crores of rupees.
According to sources, the blaze erupted around 1.35 am and the fire services were alerted shortly thereafter. As many as 13 fire tenders, 70 personnel, and 10 fire officers soon rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control after a gruelling operation that lasted nearly three hours.
The fire is suspected to have erupted near an idol shop or grocery area and spread rapidly due to the presence of highly inflammable plastic materials stored in the densely packed shops. The extreme heat and and close clustering of the buildings hindered firefighting efforts, destroying a significant portion of the market and reducing it to ashes.
Miraculously, no casualties were reported. Two individuals sleeping inside shops at the time managed to escape after noticing the flames.
The Unit-1 Market is one of Bhubaneswar’s largest commercial hubs, known for its variety of goods including plastic items, groceries, and other merchandise. Traders have been left devastated, with many losing their entire livelihoods. Several shop owners had invested heavily, often using borrowed funds, in stocking goods for business, and the destruction has left them emotionally and financially shattered.
Officials are now conducting a detailed assessment of the damages, while the exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.
Chief Fire Officer Ramesh Chandra Majhi confirmed that the situation is fully under control and safe, emphasising that plastic materials significantly fuelled the blaze’s rapid spread.
This is the second major fire incident in the market in just four months. Last October, a blaze at the Unit I market completely destroyed at least 30 shops. It took 11 firefighting teams and fire tenders approximately two and a half hours to bring the flames under control. Following which, Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) announced a series of reforms aimed at enhancing safety and governance across the city’s major haats or daily markets.
The incident had then reignited concerns over safety standards in public markets and and led to immediate action by civic authorities with city mayor Sulochana Das announcing implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for 20 major haats across Bhubaneswar.
