Udyog Vihar liquor store gutted in fire, stock worth lakhs destroyed

Five fire tenders from four fire stations and one from Maruti Suzuki were deployed after smoke was spotted around 12.30pm on Saturday.

A massive fire gutted a liquor store in Udyog Vihar on Saturday afternoon, destroying liquor stock worth lakhs. No injuries or casualties were reported, fire officials said.

Udyog Vihar liquor store gutted in fire, stock worth lakhs destroyed

Passersby first noticed smoke coming from the store at around 12.30pm and alerted the fire department. The department received the call at 12.36pm, following which five fire tenders from the Sector 29, Sector 30, Udyog Vihar and Bhimnagar fire stations, along with one from Maruti Suzuki, were rushed to the spot.

Firefighters worked for nearly two hours to bring the flames under control and prevent them from spreading to adjoining premises. Officials said eyewitnesses reported that the flames quickly spread inside the store.

The fire is suspected to have been triggered by a short circuit in a refrigerator kept inside the store. Officials said the presence of alcohol, which is highly flammable, helped intensify the blaze. Liquor bottles and other stock inside the store were extensively damaged, while the exact value of the loss was yet to be ascertained.

“There was no report of anyone being trapped inside the store at the time of the incident. The cause of the fire was being ascertained, although a short circuit in the refrigerator was suspected to have triggered the blaze,” said Naresh Yadav, Sector 29 fire station officer.

Since it was Independence Day, the shop was closed when the fire broke out. No casualties or injuries were reported from the spot.