Traders face crores in losses after market fire
NEW “Everything has turned to ashes — dreams, the shop and all its goods,” said a trader whose shop was destroyed in the massive blaze in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk that even brought down two buildings in the area.
His was among over 110 shops that were gutted in a fire that required 50 fire tenders and 200 on-the-ground personnel to be brought under control after a 12-hour effort. The number of shops that were damaged by the fire could still go up and the losses made by the traders could be in crores.
The fire broke out in Chandni Chowk’s Old Katra Marwadi Market on Thursday evening. There were no casualties. It was 4.15 pm on Thursday when Narendra, 60, was having a regular call with one of his customers when he heard screaming.
“People were shouting about a fire. We already knew that our shop was in a narrow place. I immediately asked everyone in the shop to evacuate. Within a few minutes, everything was reduced to ash,” he said.
A fire in Delhi’s Nai Sadak market gutted over 110 shops selling sarees, dupattas, and other combustible items, causing losses of Rs 70-80 crores.
DFS Chief Atul Garg reported that two buildings collapsed due to the intensity of the blaze, which originated from an AC short circuit.
Traders, kept away from their shops due to safety concerns, have yet to fully estimate their losses. Shopkeeper Jaspreet Singh prioritised evacuating his workers and customers, narrowly escaping himself. He added that his shop was the only source of earning for him.
Firefighters faced challenges with narrow lanes, lack of nearby water sources, and dangling power lines, necessitating the use of water bowsers and robots. The fire was controlled by 4:30 am on Friday, followed by a cooling operation with eight fire tenders.