Press Trust of India
Sambalpur: A major fire Tuesday broke out in ‘Golebazar’, the main market of this western Orissa city, destroying property worth lakhs of rupees, the police said.
The fire broke out at around 4 am and engulfed a large portion of the market.
As many as 11 fire tenders worked for around three and half hours to bring the flame under control, it was learnt. Property worth around Rs 80 lakh was destroyed in the fire while 27 shop owners have been affected by the mishap, the police said.
“Preliminary reports say the cause of fire is likely to be an electric short-circuit. But the police are investigating the incident. The Sambalpur Municipal Corporation is also probing the incident to ascertain the cause for the fire,” said district collector Samarth Verma.
The collector said, “I have taken up the matter with the office of the Special Relief Commissioner (SRC). They have asked us to submit a report. They will decide on the compensation for the vendors and shop owners who have incurred loss.” PNN