Fire At Delhi's Karol Bagh's Gaffar Shoe Market, 39 Fire Tenders Rushed

A massive fire engulfed several shops in a shoe market in Central Delhi's Karol Bagh area early on Sunday morning, which was doused in five hours after 39 fire tenders and hundreds for firefighters were pressed in. 

The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) chief Atul Garg said no one was trapped or injured in the incident. 

A senioe fire service officer said the blaze was extinguished around 9 am while the cooling operations continued.

DFS Director Garg said, "A serious fire call was received from a shoe market in Gaffar, Karol Bagh, at 4.16 am and 39 fire tenders were rushed to the site."

He said none of the shops which caught fire had No Objection Certificate from the fire department.

The fire department said buildings in the shoe market usually have their shops on ground floors while the owners either store, repair or sale in their godowns which are upstairs.

Elaborating on the challenges faced by the firefighters during the operation, Garg said the area where the fire incident took place was a narrow lane which was mainly congested.

He added, "Lots of hanging wires were present at market area which is dangerous and causes inconvenience too. There was shortage of water resources used for dousing fire. The construction of the building is weak, so the structures have already developed cracks."

There has been spurt in fire accidents in recent weeks. On Saturday, a patient died in a fire in a hospital in Delhi's Rohini area. Beside the fire in Delhi's Mundka in which 27 people died last month, fires have also been reported in Jhandewalan market in which shops were reportedly gutted and in a factory in Delhi's Mustafabad in which one man died and six were injured.

A fire was also reported in Union Public Service Commission building in Central Delhi on Friday but it later turned out to be a mock drill. 

(With PTI inputs)