Entertainment and gaming stations worth lakhs were gutted after a fire broke out at Skyjumper Trampoline Park, a commercial play zone, at Zirakpur’s Oxford Street Market on Tuesday.
Four fire tenders, two each from Zirakpur and Dera Bassi fire stations, were pressed into service after the fire broke out around 9 am. It took the firefighters four hours to gain control of the situation. Shops in the vicinity were shut down as a preventive measure.
The firefighters faced a lot of difficulty as the play zone was predominantly made up of rubber, mattresses, plastic, wood, and thermocol, resulting in emission of thick black smoke that spread throughout the building. To mitigate the smoke, firefighters broke the thick glass panes of the building.
Fortunately, none of the staff or customers were present on the premises at the time of the incident that also led to a power outage in nearby areas.
Fire officer Jaswant Singh said the business owners had obtained the necessary permits to operate the park.
He said the exact cause of fire was not known yet, but prima facie, it appeared to have occurred due to a short-circuit. The owner of the park, who resides in Delhi, has been asked to report to the fire station.