Fire breaks out at liquor shop on GCR, no one hurt

Imported liquor worth at least ?5 crore was destroyed in a fire at an upscale wine shop in Gurugram. The fire spread quickly due to the highly-inflammable alcohol, and it took over two hours and 24 firefighters to douse the flames. The cause of the fire is believed to be a short-circuit in the refrigeration units or air-conditioning system, according to the owner of the shop. This is the second fire incident on the Golf Course Road in the last three days.

Gurugram: Imported liquor worth at least ₹5 crore went up in flames after an upscale wine shop located near Ghata Mor on Golf Course Road caught fire on Sunday morning, said fire department officials.

Gurugram, India-May 14, 2023: Fire broke out in a liquor shop at sector-56 road on early morning near sector-55-56 rapid metro station, no one was injured in this incident, in Gurugram, India, on Sunday, 14 May 2023. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

Officials said the fire department was alerted about the incident at about 6.32am. They said initially three fire tenders were rushed to the spot, but as the fire spread, five more tenders were pressed into action from the Sector 29 fire station along with a contingent of 24 firefighters.

Officials said that after close to two hours of firefighting, the flames were doused but by then the entire shop located in Sector 55 was reduced to ashes. They said that by the time they could reach the spot, the flames had become uncontrollable as alcohol is highly-inflammable.

Officials added that initially local residents tried to control the flames with buckets of water, but all efforts remained futile, and they alerted the administration.

Yashbir, a lead fireman from the Sector 29 fire station, said that such was the intensity of the fire that a few of the firefighters sustained some minor burn injuries. “The flames almost reached the main road as the liquor bottles were highly-inflammable and helped the fire to spread fast. The estimated loss of is about ₹5 crore or more,” he said.

Yashbir said that a possible short-circuit in the refrigeration units or air-conditioning system may have caused the fire which was further flared up by the liquor.

Inspector Jitender Kumar, station house officer (SHO) of Sector 56 police station, said ‘The Liquor Fort’ owner Deepak Chopra had submitted a written complaint. He alleged that the fire erupted due to a short-circuit which completely destroyed his shop along with liquor worth crores of rupees.

“The fire and smoke were first spotted at about 5.30am. Initially, some locals and workers of other nearby commercial establishments tried to douse it by pouring water from buckets, but it remained futile. Later, they informed the fire department,” SHO Kumar added.

Incidentally, this is the second fire incident on the Golf Course Road in the last three days. A Porsche sports car worth about ₹2.2 crore was reduced to ashes near Sector 27 after it burst into flames. The speeding car had collided with a tree as the driver allegedly tried to save a stray dog that came in the way at about 4am on May 11.