Puri: A major fire that broke out at Marichikot Chacha Lakshmi Market Complex here on Wednesday evening could not be doused completely even after more than 12 hours of the incident. No major injuries or deaths have been reported. A fire broke out in a garment shop on the ground floor of the building at around 8 pm yesterday.
Fire tenders were pressed into service immediately after receiving the information. More than 100 firemen were engaged in extinguishing the fire, but the flames could not be extinguished completely and thick smoke continued billowing out of the building throughout the night till today afternoon. The fire services personnel kept struggling to bring the situation under control. An expert team of the fire brigade has also reached the spot from Bhubaneswar.
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The major hindrance before the firemen was the narrow and unpaved road that led to the building. As the fire brigade could not enter the market complex through this road it was taking longer than usual in extinguishing the fire. Due to this, fire spread from the ground floor to other shops on the upper floors.
Initially, a fire broke out in a garment shop on the ground floor. However, later it spread to various jewellery shops, sandals and plastic shops on the same floor as well as the higher floors. One person was slightly injured in the incident, but was reported to be fine after treatment. The Puri SP reached the spot and was investigating the entire incident.
Meanwhile, special traffic arrangements have been made so that the devotees going to the Jagannath temple, located around 300 metres from the spot, do not face any problems. All vehicular access has been prohibited from Market Street to facilitate the movement of fire engines.
