New Delhi: A massive fire broke out in the Gaffar Market in Karol Bagh, Delhi, early Friday morning. Around 20 to 25 shops are feared affected. However, no casualties have been reported so far. Fire brigade teams are working at the scene to extinguish the fire.
BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal, after visiting the site, said it would be premature to accurately assess the damage, as the firefighting operation is ongoing and smoke is still rising from the building.
He said, “It’s difficult to say anything right now, but I think 20 to 25 shops may have been affected. This is a commercial complex, housing around 25 to 30 shops. Fire brigade personnel and police are working diligently.”
Fire broke out in a shop around midnight
Praveen Khandelwal said in another statement that, according to initial information, the fire broke out in a shop in the complex around midnight and quickly spread to other areas.
He said that no one was killed in the incident. Some shopkeepers were able to evacuate their goods.
Meanwhile, BJP MP Yogendra Chandolia called the incident extremely unfortunate. He expressed relief that no one was killed in the fire. Chandolia said that if the fire had broken out during the day, the damage could have been even greater.
He stated that shopkeepers suffered property damage. The exact cause of the fire will only be known after an investigation. According to him, the Delhi Fire Department attempted to control the fire with the help of 12-13 fire tankers since last night.
Fire spread to a four-story building
Deputy Chief Fire Officer Madhav Kumar Chattopadhyay said that no one was trapped inside the building, so no rescue operation was required. Firefighting operations are currently underway.
He explained that the building is a commercial plaza spread over approximately 200 square yards, with a basement, ground floor, and three upper floors. According to the first fire brigade team that arrived at the scene, the fire initially broke out on the ground floor and affected one or two shops. It then spread to the upper floors.
Overheating of mobile batteries suspected to have caused the fire
The fire broke out in a shop located in the Chain Wali Gali area of Gaffar Market early Friday morning. According to Delhi Police, a PCR call was received at the Karol Bagh police station at 1:28 am regarding the incident.
According to preliminary information, the fire started in a ground-floor shop where mobile phone batteries were stored. The fire then spread to the four-story commercial building.
Three CAT ambulances and two PCR vehicles were deployed to the scene along with fire engines. Initially, overheating or overcharging of batteries is being considered a possible cause. However, the actual cause of the fire will only be clear after an investigation.