Puri Market Complex fire doused; Know why it was a challenging task for firefighters

Puri: A major fire that had broken out at Samrat Market Complex on the Grand Road in Odisha’s Puri town was today brought under control by Fire Services personnel after around 36 hours, an official said.

The fire mishap has damaged around 40 shops of the market complex.

Around 350 people were safely evacuated from the building during the firefighting. Of them, three persons sustained minor injuries while a Fire services personnel suffered burn injuries.

At least 12 fire fighting units were engaged to douse the flame. The market complex houses a bank, a hotel and many shops.

Tough task for firefighters

As most of the shops in the market complex were closed on the occasion of Holi festival, the Fire Services personnel were unable to use water cannons to douse the blaze. This apart, the building’s narrow entrance made it difficult for the firefighters to enter it. Moreover, the building reportedly has no emergency exit.

Though the Fire Services personnel were using oxygen masks and other protective gears, they could not tear the metal shutters of the closed shops which were burning from inside. Several firefighters fell ill due to suffocation amid thick smoke while one of them sustained burn injury on hand.

The intensity of the flame also led to partial melting of the shutters while chunks of ceiling caved in.

In a bid to prevent further spreading of the fire, the firefighters had flooded the adjacent buildings with water cannons.

Notably, the fire broke out from a garments shop on the first floor of the market complex at around 8.30 pm on March 8. Later, the flame started engulfing other portions of the building.

Though the reason behind the outbreak of fire was yet to be ascertained, it is being suspected that electrical short circuit might have led to the mishap.

Electricity supply in the locality was discontinued to avoid any further untoward incident.