Gorakhpur (UP), Jun 12 (PTI) A fire broke out at a commercial complex here on Thursday, gutting five shops and causing property losses worth several lakhs of rupees, officials said. No casualties were reported in the incident.
The fire is suspected to have originated due to a short circuit, around 2:30 pm, triggering panic among shopkeepers and visitors as thick smoke rapidly engulfed the JSR Garden commercial complex premises.
“Six fire tenders were pressed into service and the fire was brought under control within an hour,” Additional Superintendent of Police (City) Abhinav Tyagi said.
“Timely intervention by police and fire personnel prevented the flames from spreading further,” he added.
The fire is said to have started from an air conditioning unit at a food outlet and rapidly spread to adjacent shops, officials said.
Eyewitnesses claimed that despite attempts by locals to douse the flames, the fire intensified before help could arrive.
Local MP Ravi Kishan and senior officials visited the site to assess the situation.
“The fire was serious, but the administration responded swiftly,” Kishan said while interacting with reporters.
Krishna Gupta, the owner of an outlet that was gutted in the fire, expressed displeasure over the fire brigade’s response, alleging that the firefighters initially targeted areas where the blaze had already subsided.
Chief Fire Officer Rajendra Prasad said, “The response was prompt, and we are investigating the cause of the fire as well as assessing the extent of the damages.” PTI COR ABN HIG
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