Meerut: Goods worth lakhs of rupees were gutted and at least 10 shops were destroyed in a major fire that broke out here in a market area, an official said on Monday. No casualties have been reported.
The fire, that erupted late on Sunday, engulfed the commercial establishments in Lal Kurti, following which six fire tenders were pressed into service.
After several hours of operation, the firefighters were able to douse the flames at around 3.00 am on Monday.
"Most of the commercial establishments destroyed in the fire were grocery stores. An eating joint was also gutted," Chief Fire Officer (CFO) IS Soni said in Meerut, some 500 km from Lucknow.
"At the time of the incident, all the commercial establishments were closed. It could have been a major tragedy if the incident had taken place earlier in the day," he added.
According to police, a few workers were trapped inside the commercial establishments, but they were later rescued.
"We believe the fire erupted from one of the shops following a short circuit and spread to other commercial set ups," said Soni.
IANS
First Published: Monday, May 02, 2011, 16:07