Zirakpur, May 27
More than 24 kiosks and temporary structures were gutted in a fire in the Baltana furniture market this afternoon.
Goods worth lakhs were destroyed in the flames. It took 12 fire engines more than an hour to douse the blaze. Local residents helped the firemen in operations. The fire broke out in structures illegally raised in vacant area measuring about one acre, said eyewitnesses.
Sources said around 50 illegal structures had been raised in the vacant area and rented out to owners of the nearby furniture shops.
The fire broke out in a shop around 12 noon after short-circuit. It soon turned into a major blaze because of the extreme heat and the inflammable material, including paint and varnish, kept in the shops.
As soon as the fire spread to other shops, carpenters and helpers ran for their lives. One fire engine from Zirakpur, three from Dera Bassi, two from Panchkula and others from Mohali and Chandigarh were pressed into service.
A commercial LPG warehouse is located near the area where the fire broke out.
Fire officer Jaswant Singh said, “There was no firefighting arrangement here. A notice will be issued to the owner of the land. After receiving the reply, appropriate action will be taken. The probe is on whether the kiosks and temporary structures were raised illegally without taking any permission. The fire was so fierce that if it was not controlled in time, losses could have been huge.”
Laxity in enforcing fire safety norms by the MC, illegal structures and high population density lead to frequent fire incidents in Baltana.
Previous incidents
- May 17: A furniture manufacturing unit in Harmilap Nagar, Baltana, was gutted around midnight
- September 13, 2022: A fire broke out in a showroom in the furniture market in Baltana. The staff on the first floor rushed out of the building they noticed the fire around 10 am. Six fire engines were pressed into service.
