Gorakhpur shopping complex fire: No casualty reported but 18 shops, goods gutted

Firefighters along with the police immediately rushed to the spot and began dousing the flames. It took them six hours.

A massive fire engulfed a shopping complex in Bhawanipur market, under the Gola police station of the district, on Saturday morning.

For representation only (HT File Photo)

Eighteen shops of the complex and goods worth crores of rupees were reduced to ashes.

Arun Kumar Singh, SP, South, said no casualty had been reported and the situation was under control but the cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.

Firefighters along with the police immediately rushed to the spot and began dousing the flames. It took them six hours.

According to locals, the fire broke out at around 7 am on Saturday morning. The smoke from the complex spread rapidly and engulfed other shops.

Officials said one Gulab Gupta, a native of Gola Bazar, owns a shopping complex where 30 shops run on the ground floor while on the first floor of the complex is a marriage hall. On Friday, the marriage hall was booked for a marriage programme and half a dozen domestic cylinders were kept there.

Local traders and wholesalers of cosmetic goods, Deep Chand Madhesiya, who had six shops and was using them as godowns, said his loss was over ₹80 lakh. Similarly, Amit’s stationery shop and Upendra Chandra Jaiswal’s general store were burnt completely.

Abdur Rahman