A fire broke out at a shop in the C-Block of Delhi's Vasant Vihar. Several fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the situation is under control now. The incidents of fire in the recent weeks have seen a surge amid a scorching heatwave which has engulfed northern India.
Two days ago, over 110 shops were gutted completely or partially and a fireman was injured when a major fire broke out in Chandini Chowk area, police said on Friday.
The fire that engulfed the Old Katra Marwadi Market on Thursday evening destroyed goods and property worth crores of rupees. Two buildings also collapsed due to the fire and water pressure.
An FIR under sections 285 and 337 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) has been registered at Kotwali police station and the matter is being investigated, the police said.
"On Thursday, around 5 pm, a PCR call was received in Katra Marwari, Nai Sarak, Chandani Chowk. Immediately police and fire teams responded. The adjoining shops were evacuated and necessary assistance was provided to the fire department to douse the fire," Deputy Commissioner of Police (north) Manoj Kumar Meena said.
The officer said the fire spread to the shops in the Katra area.
"The fire has now almost died out and around 110-120 shops have completely or partially been affected," DCP Meena said.
"The fire fighting operation is still going on. And, we have registered an FIR at Kotwali police station and investigation has been commenced into the matter. One fireman has suffered superficial burns during the ongoing fire fighting operation," he added.
The police said the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The area has been barricaded and the local people have been advised to not go there, they said.
Earlier in the day, the fire department officials said that two buildings collapsed during the fire fighting operations and over 100 shops, which are of saari, chunni, dupatta and other combustible material, were completely gutted but no loss of life was reported so far.
Over 50 fire tenders and 200 personnel worked whole night to bring the blaze under control, officials of the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said.
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