Over 200 fireworks stalls gutted in Faridabad

October 22, 2014 08:28 am | Updated November 16, 2021 07:12 pm IST - FARIDABAD:

A major fire broke out in the crackers market in Faridabad on Tuesday evening.

A major fire broke out in the crackers market in Faridabad on Tuesday evening.

More than 200 fireworks stalls and several vehicles were gutted in a massive fire at the NIT Dussehra Ground here on Tuesday. However, there were no casualties in the incident.

The fire broke out around 6-30 p.m. in one of the stalls earmarked for selling of fireworks and soon engulfed the entire area housing 230-odd shops.

According to eyewitnesses, more than a thousand people were present in the ground at the time of the incident and the sudden fire led to a stampede-like situation.

One of the eyewitnesses, Dheeraj, said dark clouds of smoke engulfed the ground making it difficult for the people to find their way to safety.

More than 22 fire tenders were pressed into service and it took them around two hours to douse the flames.

Faridabad Police Commissioner A. S. Chawla told The Hindu that there were no casualties.

“The entire ground has been cleared. No casualties are found,” said Mr. Chawla, adding that fireworks worth several crore were gutted. He said that the cause of fire was not immediately known.

A man was taken to hospital with complaint of uneasiness and was discharged after first aid.

With clouds of smoke billowing out of the ground the news of the fire spread across the city and relatives of those present at the spot rushed to seek their well-being.

This, coupled with the movement of fire-tenders, led to massive traffic jam in several areas of the nearby areas.

The incident led to strong resentment among the stall-owners who accused the administration of not making adequate arrangements to deal with the emergency situation. Some of the stall-owners said the lone fire-tender stationed at the spot did not have water.

The eye-witnesses said that it was all over by the time the fire-tenders arrived.

Reacting to allegations of apathy, area Sub-Divisional Officer Mahavir Prasad said that it was a matter of investigation.

The stall-owners claimed that more than a hundred vehicles, including two-wheelers, cars and tempos, were gutted, the local administration said so far they had information only about a dozen vehicles.

In a similar incident, 13 people were killed when a fire broke out at a fireworks market in Faridabad two decades ago. Following the tragedy, the administration decided to designate open grounds for selling of crackers in the city.

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