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Mohali: Goods worth lakhs ravaged in fire at party decoration shop
According to firemen, inflammable synthetic party decoration material was stored in the basement, including fog machines and material used at weddings venues by event planners
Stock worth lakhs was gutted after a major blaze engulfed the basement of a locked party decoration shop in Phase 6 on Sunday evening.
The fire was spotted around 7 pm by a nearby shopkeeper, who raised the alarm.
Using over 20 fire tenders, firefighters battled the flames for 16 hours to douse the inferno that officials said was suspected to have been caused by a short-circuit. But they are yet to ascertain the exact reason. No one was hurt in the incident.
According to firemen, inflammable synthetic party decoration material was stored in the basement, including fog machines and material used at weddings venues by event planners.
“The fog generators caused multiple minor blasts inside the basement. Gas balloons and other gas equipment was also stored there. Moreover, the racks inside the shop were attached with the walls and were covered, due to which we were not able to shoot water at the main target area. It was not possible for us to enter the basement,” a fireman said.
The firemen also faced another challenge as the basement was filled with around 5 feet of water shot inside by the fire teams. As many as 16 firemen broke the walls from two sides to pump in the water at the right target.
“Luckily the fire did not spread to the upper floor or the nearby shops or buildings. Even when we are regularly issuing notices to shops, industrial units and other prominent buildings across Mohali, people don’t adhere to fire safety regulations. We will issue a notice to the shopkeeper, as there was no fire safety equipment inside or near the shop,” said Jaswinder Singh, fire officer, Mohali.
