Fire rips through fish market in Odisha’s Cuttack, guts over 30 shops, bank

According to preliminary estimates, around 17 fish traders who operated from the market suffered extensive losses

Published on: Jun 1, 2026, 16:42:20 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A fire ripped through a fish market in Odisha’s Cuttack, gutting over 30 shops and damaging a bank branch in the same building. Fire services officials said the blaze, which broke out around 2am on Monday in the Press Chhak area of Cuttack, spread rapidly through the congested market area after a paint godown inside the decades-old building caught fire, allegedly due to a short circuit.

The fire first engulfed the fish market on the ground floor and spread to the upper floors. (ANI)

Traders claimed cash worth between ₹50 lakh and ₹60 lakh was destroyed in the fire. Several bundles of notes belonging to traders, and stored for payments and business operations, were completely charred.

The fire first engulfed the fish market on the ground floor and spread to the upper floors, including a Bank of India branch, raising concerns over damage to documents, furniture, records, and other assets. The bank branch was left damaged, though the exact extent of the loss is yet to be assessed.

According to preliminary estimates, around 17 fish traders who operated from the market suffered extensive losses, with deep freezers, stock of fish, and equipment reduced to ashes. Some traders said they had kept cash as banks remained closed and payments to suppliers were due the following day.

“One trader alone lost nearly ₹14 lakh in his shop. Ledger books worth ₹30-40 lakh in pending transactions were also destroyed,” a trader said, adding that many had spent over three decades building their businesses in the market.

At least 10 to 12 fire tenders and over 25 fire service personnel were deployed, but narrow lanes and the congested location hampered access to the building. Dense smoke continued to billow from the premises for hours, making it difficult for firefighters to enter and contain the blaze.

Officials said inflammable materials such as paints and colours stored inside the building accelerated the spread of the fire. To access the affected portions, emergency teams used machines to break parts of the structure.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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