Delhi fire: 20-25 shops may have been affected, says BJP MP

New Delhi: A major fire at Delhi's Gaffar Market in Karol Bagh may have affected around 20-25 shops, BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal said on Friday, as firefighting operations continued at the commercial complex. No casualties have been reported so far.

Khandelwal, who visited the spot, said it was too early to assess the extent of the damage, as the firefighting operation was still underway and smoke could be seen rising from the building.

"It's difficult to say anything right now, but I feel that there must be 20-25 shops affected in this, because it's a commercial complex. So there must definitely be 25-30 shops in it…Our fire service personnel and police are actively engaged here," he said.

In another statement, the BJP MP said the fire reportedly broke out around midnight in one of the shops and spread rapidly to other parts of the complex.

"…A fire broke out in one of the shops here, and that fire spread rapidly. There have been no casualties. There hasn't been any such damage. Some of the traders have even managed to retrieve their goods," Khandelwal said.

BJP MP Yogendra Chandolia also described the incident as extremely unfortunate and expressed relief that no lives were lost.

"The accident is extremely unfortunate. The good thing is that there were no casualties. And if this fire had broken out during the day, I think there could have been even greater damage. Traders have suffered losses to property, and the reason behind it will be known after an investigation. But the Delhi Fire Department managed to control the fire by deploying 12-13 tankers from the night itself," Chandoliya said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Madhav Kumar Chattopadhyay said there was no requirement for a rescue operation as nobody was trapped inside the building, while firefighting operations were underway.

"There is no need for a rescue operation as no one is trapped inside. Firefighting operations are currently underway. The building is a plaza spread over 200 square yards, comprising a basement, ground floor and three upper floors. According to the first fire team to reach the spot, the fire initially broke out at the ground level, affecting one or two shops, before spreading to the upper floors," he said.

The fire broke out at a shop in Chain Wali Gali of Gaffar Market early Friday. According to the Delhi Police, a PCR call regarding the incident was received at 1.28 a.m. by Karol Bagh Police Station.

The fire reportedly originated in a ground-floor shop where mobile batteries were stored before spreading across the four-storey commercial building. Fire tenders, three CAT ambulances and two PCR vehicles were deployed at the spot.

Prima facie, overheating or overcharging of batteries may have caused the fire, although the exact reason is yet to be established.

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