5 restaurants, 4 shops gutted in Gorakhpur complex fire

SP (city) Abhinav Tyagi, who supervised the rescue operations, confirmed that all were safely evacuated and that a probe had begun to determine the exact cause of the fire

A massive fire broke out in a three-storey commercial complex near Ramgarh Tal (lake) area here on Thursday afternoon destroying multiple shops and restaurants causing an estimated damage worth ₹50 lakh but there were no casualties reported, police said.

Eyewitnesses said the fire originated from the kitchen of a restaurant and rapidly spread to nearby establishments. (Sourced)

Five restaurants and four shops were gutted in the blaze that engulfed Shri Ram GRS Garden complex, they added. Confirming it, SP (city) Abhinav Tyagi, who supervised the rescue operations, confirmed that all were safely evacuated and that a probe had begun to determine the exact cause of the fire.

“Our first priority was the safety of the people present. We’re relieved there are no casualties,” he said. As per the police, the fire is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit. However, eyewitnesses said the fire originated from the kitchen of a restaurant and rapidly spread to nearby establishments.

At the time of the incident, around 250 hotel staff and nearly 300 visitors were present in the area. Restaurant staff first noticed the fire and tried to douse the flames using water and sand. When their efforts failed, they immediately alerted the fire department.