Five shops in Lajpat Nagar market gutted in fire, none hurt

: A massive fire broke out at a handloom shop on Veer Savarkar Marg in south Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar market on Saturday morning, which spread to at least four more shops and damaged goods and articles worth ₹7-8 crore, said fire officials and traders in the market

: A massive fire broke out at a handloom shop on Veer Savarkar Marg in south Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar market on Saturday morning, which spread to at least four more shops and damaged goods and articles worth ₹7-8 crore, said fire officials and traders in the market. No casualty was reported.

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Officials from the Delhi Fire Service said they received a call regarding the fire at a showroom on Veer Savarkar Marg in Lajpat Nagar market at 10.20am, following which fire tenders were immediately rushed to the spot.

Atul Garg, chief of Delhi Fire Service, said, “When our teams reached the spot, the fire had spread to four adjacent shops. Initially, 16 fire tenders were pressed into service however, since the fire was massive, more fire tenders were rushed to the spot. It took 30 fire tenders and about 100 firemen close to four hours to douse the flames. The fire was somewhat extinguished by 2pm.”

He added that since the incident occurred in the morning and the market was closed, there was no casualty. “The exact reason behind the fire is yet to be ascertained. It was a big fire and firemen had to break open the locks of shops to douse the flames. We stopped the fire from spreading to other shops. Nearby shops in the market were shut and the area was cordoned off to effectively carry out operations,” Garg said.

Traders of the market said the fire spread quickly since it broke out in a handloom shop that was located near another garments shop.

“The fire started at a handloom shop. Later, it engulfed a readymade garment shop, then a crockery shop and eventually spread to other shops. Total five stores in four buildings on Veer Savarkar Marg were gutted in the fire. We estimate a loss of around ₹7-8 crore in the fire. The market remained closed in the first half of the day. It was opened only in the afternoon after the blaze was completely doused,” said Marwah.

He further said the entire Veer Savarkar Marg was blocked for vehicular movement to ensure smooth fire extinguishing operations. “One carriageway of the road is still shut. Cooling operations are still underway in that portion of the market,” Marwah added.