Major fire at Puri shopping complex in Odisha; over 100 people rescued
A major fire broke out at a shopping complex in Odisha’s Puri district, gutting almost all 40 shops, a police officer said.
The blaze was spotted at a garment store on the first floor of Laxmi Market Complex on Grand Road around 9pm on Wednesday night is yet to be brought under control even after more than 11 hours of fire-fighting operations.
Twelve fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
Three people, who were stuck on the roof of the building, were rescued in an unconscious state by the firefighters, the officer said.
The building, which is located close to the centuries-old Jagannath temple, also houses a hotel and a bank on two separate floors. Around 106 tourists from Nashik in Maharashtra were safely rescued from the hotel.
Panic gripped the area following the incident. The space at the market complex was so narrow that the fire brigade personnel faced a lot of hurdles during the rescue operations. In the process, at least three of them got suffocated. They were immediately rushed to the nearby hospital.
SK Upadhyay, the director general of fire service, said three personnel engaged in the firefighting operations fell ill in the midst of the heat and the smoke, and had to be taken to the hospital.
He also stated that the flames spread to nearby buildings “despite best attempts to bring the blaze under control”.
Puri Sub-Collector Bhavataran Sahu said, “We are still unable to ascertain the cause of the fire.” According to the local police, an electric short-circuit may have started the fire.
