Three newspaper vendor shops gutted in fire

A massive fire broke out at a cluster of shops, mostly newspaper vendors, located outside the periphery of the Hall Gate here this afternoon. Three shops were reportedly severely damaged by the time of filing this report. Locals alleged that they had informed the Electricity Department about a short-circuit risk in the wiring nearly 15 days ago.

Despite the arrival of three fire tenders, the blaze was so intense that it could not be brought under control immediately. All goods stored inside the shops were reportedly reduced to ashes.

Savita Narang, one of the shop owners, said she had lodged a complaint with the electricity board about 15 days earlier, stating that the wires were damaged and that she could feel electric current even in her shop shutters due to a possible short circuit. She said that when electricians came to repair her lights, she had requested them to tape the wires, but they allegedly failed to do so. She suspects the fire was triggered by the same faulty wiring.

Another shopkeeper, Parveen Sehgal, said his neighbour, Ashok Kumar, alerted him after noticing smoke coming from the shop. He immediately called the Fire Brigade, leading to panic in the area.

Civil Defence Officer Sukhchain Singh said he reached the site soon after receiving information. He confirmed extensive damage, noting that the shops were stocked with large quantities of newspapers, causing the fire to spread rapidly. The blaze continued to smoulder intermittently as his team worked to remove and remix the tin roofs.

Two more Fire Brigade vehicles were called to fully control the situation. Till the time of reporting, efforts to dismantle the tin roofs and extinguish remaining flames were still underway.