Department store in Ludhiana gutted

The proprietor of Raju Departmental Store in Ludhiana said grocery and stock worth ₹40 lakh was gutted in the blaze

Fire broke out at a department store near Grand Walk on Ferozepur Road on Monday.

Gutted stock in the departmental store on Ferozepur Road in Ludhiana. (Harvinder Singh/HT)

Vinod Kumar, the proprietor of Raju Departmental Store, said the incident came to light at around 10.30am after an employee raised the alarm. Staffers working at a shopping mall in the vicinity swung into action and doused the flames with the help of fire hydrants. Soon, firefighters reached the spot and took over the operation.

Kumar said grocery and stock worth ₹40 lakh was reduced to ashes in the blaze. It is suspected that a short-circuit caused the fire.