Fire rips through market complex

Bhubaneswar: A major fire broke out at a supermarket in Lingipur area of Bhubaneswar. The blaze, which started late Monday evening at around 10 pm, quickly engulfed multiple floors of the four-storeyed building, which contained large quantities of highly flammable goods, including plastic and rubber items.

Upon being informed, Fire Services personnel reached the spot and rescued two mall staff members who were trapped inside. Subsequently, they doused the blaze with water and later with foam. However, the fire was so severe that the firefighters struggled to douse it completely. The Fire Services department officials told mediapersons that the building reportedly has no staircases, and only a single entry and exit point.

Over 45 personnel, 12 fire tenders, robot firefighters, and other advanced firefighting equipment were deployed to extinguish the blaze. The firemen used foam and water to douse the severe blaze that engulfed the building. Meanwhile, due to the blaze and extreme heat, parts of the building have begun to develop cracks on multiple sides, raising concerns that the entire structure may collapse. Residents staying in nearby buildingshave been evacuated to avoid any eventualities. The fire had been raging for over 18 hours.

“The mall has four floors (Ground + 3), and we have successfully doused the fire on the ground, first, second, and third floors using foam. However, while attempting to control the blaze on the fourth floor, we noticed cracks developing in the building’sroof. For safety reasons, we avoided entering the floor and withdrew our personnel from the building. We are now trying to douse the fire externally through holes created in the building wall on the front and other sides,” informed Central Range Fire Officer Trilokya Kumar Babu.

The owner of the mall, Subash Chandra Jagati, claimed that around Rs 4 crore to Rs 5 crore of goods were destroyed in the building inferno. A large quantity of goods stored in the supermarket, especially plastic materials, was reduced to ashes. The building houses a wholesale market dealing in plastic products and suppliesgoods across the State.