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New Delhi: Such a scene was seen in the furniture market located in Shastri Park, Delhi on Friday night which created chaos in the entire area. Within no time, hundreds of shops in the market were engulfed in flames and a thick cloud of smoke was seen in the sky. The fire was so terrible that the flames were visible far and wide. The fire spread rapidly due to the wood, plywood and furniture kept in the market. It is a matter of relief that till now there is no news of any casualty in this accident, but the traders have suffered huge losses.

Within a few minutes the fire took a huge form and started engulfing the nearby shops. The fire spread so fast that the people present in the market did not even get a chance to save their shops and goods. Many shopkeepers reached the spot at night and watched goods worth lakhs of rupees being burnt before their eyes. According to eyewitnesses, high flames of fire were visible from a long distance. A dense cloud of smoke covered the entire area, causing panic among the people.

About 300 shops burnt to ashes

According to primary information, about 300 shops were completely burnt to ashes in this accident. A large quantity of wood, plywood and furniture was kept in the market, which made the fire more dangerous. Officials say that the fire has affected a large area and the exact figure of loss will be known only after investigation.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer DB Mukherjee said that Delhi Fire Service had received information about the fire at 11:57 pm. Initially a normal level response was given, but considering the seriousness of the fire, it was later declared a major fire. He told that due to the presence of highly inflammable goods in the market, the fire spread rapidly. About 25 to 30 fire engines were sent to the spot to extinguish the fire. After several hours of hard work the fire could be controlled.

Allegation of stone pelting on fire engines

The situation worsened during the incident when some local people allegedly pelted stones at the fire department vehicles. It is being told that in the initial phase, people got angry due to less number of fire engines reaching the spot. In this anger, some people threw stones at the vehicles. However, the situation was later brought under control and the police increased security in the area.

Police and FSL team engaged in investigation

This market of Shastri Park is located in a very densely populated area. Furniture and wood are traded here on a large scale. Due to narrow streets and inflammable material, fire brigade personnel faced a lot of difficulty in extinguishing the fire. Firefighters were continuously working to stop the fire from spreading so that it did not reach the surrounding areas.

At present the cause of the fire has not been known. Officials say that Delhi Police is investigating the matter. Apart from this, the team of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) also reached the spot and inspected the area. The team is trying to find out whether the fire broke out due to short circuit, negligence or some other reason.