Cuttack: Drugs and surgical goods worth around Rs 60 lakh gutted when fire broke out at a drugstore-cum-godown at Mangalabag in the Silver City here Saturday.
At least five fire engines and 36 fire brigade personnel, including six officials, were pressed into service to douse the flames, locals said.
Fire brigade officials suspect short-circuit as the cause behind the mishap.
Sabyasachi Sahu, a local, deals in medicines and surgical goods for last 30 years by opening Srigopal Medicine and Surigicals at Mangalabag. Sahu used the ground floor of the building as a drugstore while five rooms on the first floor were used as godown for drugs and surgical goods, sources said.
An employee of the drugstore first spotted smoke billowing out from the godown while he was collecting some drugs around noon. The employees of the drugstore unsuccessfully tried to douse the fire by using water, sources added.
On being informed, fire brigade personnel along with fire engines reached the spot and struggled for a good one and a half hours to douse the flames, locals said.
“Electricity supply to the drugstore was cut immediately. But, the store had several inverters which caused difficulties for the fire brigade personnel to douse the flames,” said a source.
Some locals, meanwhile, claimed that the drugstore-cum-godown did not have a fire extinguisher and lacked other safety measures.
“Many shops and godowns in Mangalabag and other places of the city are yet to have fire safety measures. The authorities concerned have turned a blind eye to the issue,” alleged a local