22 fire units battle blaze in shop at Delhi's Gaffar Market

A major fire broke out in a shop at Gaffar Market, one of the capital's best-known and perpetually crowded markets, at midnight on Friday. Panic spread through the narrow market in Delhi's Karol Bagh area as news of the fire got out, and traders were left anxious.

Given the intensity of the blaze, the Delhi Fire Department sent teams to the spot immediately. As the fire was spreading fast, 22 fire units were deployed, including water tenders, water bowsers and other specialised vehicles. The shops in the market stand tightly packed against each other, so there was a serious fear that the fire would spread further. Firefighters tackled the blaze with great courage, and the operation, which began at night, continued till morning.

Several senior officers, including Chief Fire Officer A.K. Malik, were present at the spot, and the firefighting was carried out under their supervision. Reportedly, no loss of life has been reported in the incident. However, the cause of the fire is not yet clear. Gaffar Market is a very important market in Delhi, and the assessment of the damage to the shops concerned is under way.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer M.K. Chattopadhyay said: "As you can see, smoke is still coming out of the building. The building does not have proper ventilation. There is only one staircase and there are about 14-15 shops on every floor. We are trying to put out the fire. The heat is intense. Our personnel are engaged in the operation. We hope the operation will be completely over in about two to three hours."

According to Chattopadhyay, the department received the call at 1:30 am. The building has a basement, a ground floor and three floors above (G+3). He said the basement is safe. The fire started in one or two shops on the ground floor and then reached the upper floors. The building housed shops selling mobile accessories and crockery.

He also said: "So far we have received no information about any casualties. We will conduct a search after the fire is put out."