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19 shops gutted at Mohali furniture; second blaze in six months
A group of locals reached the spot but could not save the material kept inside since the shops were locked.
Almost six months after 50 shops were gutted at the Lakhnaur furniture market on the Mohali-Landran road, another blaze reduced 19 shops into ashes in early hours of Sunday. However, no casualty or injury was reported.
The fire started from one corner of the market around 4am. By the time a watchman noticed it, it had engulfed some of the shops. Locals rushed to the spot, but could not retrieve goods kept in the shops as they were locked.
While fire tenders from Mohali arrived within 20 minutes, another tender came from Dera Bassi, but took hours to bring the blaze under control. “The shops were housed in tin sheds. By the time we reached, fire had spread inside the shops.We could also spray water as it was not possible to touch the iron sheets,” said a fire official, who did not wish to be named.
The flames were doused by 9am, but till then the entire market block spread over three acres had turned into heaps of metallic sheets and charred wood.
“There were 19 shops and three saw mills operating from the block for the past 15 years. Only one could be saved,” said Baljit Singh, a worker.
“We could not save anything kept inside the shop,” said Harinder Singh, a shop owner. “Fire brigade reached on time, but the situation was not favourable for rescue operation. There was no space to enter the shops.”
Festive orders heap up losses
On April 27, a major fire had gutted 50 shops in another market block nearby. The timing of the Sunday blaze, however, has left the traders worried.
“We have booked many orders in advance due to festive season. But now we have lost everything. I don’t know how we will make up for the losses,” said Dilshad, who owned three shops in the market.
The traders, however, have not been able to provide the exact amount of losses, which are expected to run into crores.
Even as the firemen could not find the cause of blaze, Gurdeep Singh, a local who was present at a tea stall near the spot at the time of the incident, said, “Some workers stay inside the shop and even cook food there. Cooking could have led to the fire.”
Market will be shifted, says minister
Cabinet minister and local MLA Balbir Singh Sidhu visited the spot around 10am. He assured the local traders of full assistance. The land on which the market was located belongs to an individual, but the Punjab Urban Development Authority plans to acquire it soon.
“We will shift the market to another place,” said the minister. “Land will be identified and adequate facilities will be provided.” Sidhu said the fire has caused over ₹10 crore losses though the exact figure will come out after proper assessment.
Mohali deputy commissioner Gurpreet Kaur Sapra said the tehsildar will probe the incident. “He will look into the cause of fire and assess the losses,” she said.