Massive Fire at Delhi’s Shastri Park Furniture Market Destroys Nearly 300 Shops

New Delhi: A massive fire broke out in the furniture market of Shastri Park at around 12 o'clock on Friday night. Within no time about 300 shops were burnt to ashes. It is a matter of relief that no casualties have been reported so far in this accident. The fire was so intense that 25 to 30 fire engines had to be sent to the spot.

How did the fire spread so fast?

According to the fire department, the market was filled with plywood and wooden furniture. All these things catch fire very quickly. Because of this the fire spread rapidly throughout the market. Shastri Park area is anyway known for furniture business, so extinguishing the fire here became more difficult.

Why did people throw stones at the fire engine?

Initially when the fire broke out, only 2 fire engines reached the spot. Seeing this the people present there got angry. Angry people pelted stones at the fire engines. People alleged that there was a fire in such a big market and the administration sent only 2 vehicles. Later, seeing the situation, the fire department declared it a 'major fire' and 25-30 vehicles were sent.

What did the fire department say?

Deputy Chief Fire Officer DB Mukherjee said that the fire control room had received information about the fire at 11:57 pm. Initially a normal response was sent, but due to abundance of inflammable goods in the market, considering it a 'medium' category fire, a larger team was sent. At present the fire has been brought under control.

What was the reason for the fire?

Mukherjee said that the real reason for the fire is not yet clear. Delhi Police will investigate this. The team of Forensic Science Laboratory i.e. FSL has also reached the spot. The team inspected the area and took stock of the damage.

How much damage was caused?

According to preliminary data, about 300 shops have been completely burnt. Since the market is very big and most of the shops are of wooden furniture, the loss is expected to be in crores. It was fortunate that since it was night time, there were not many people in the market, otherwise there could have been loss of life.