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A massive fire suddenly broke out on Friday in Chandni Market, one of the most prominent and crowded commercial areas of Patna, the capital of Bihar. The fire spread so fast that within a few minutes it engulfed many shops and warehouses. Flames and a thick plume of black smoke could be clearly seen from several kilometers away. As soon as the flames came out of the shops, there was a situation of shouting and stampede in the entire market complex and surrounding residential areas. Traders and local people ran towards the streets to save their lives.
As soon as information about the incident was received, local police station, senior district administration officials and fire brigade teams quickly reached the spot. Due to narrow streets and densely populated area, initially huge difficulties were faced in starting the rescue operation.
Seeing the magnitude of the fire and the continuously spreading flames, the fire department immediately dispatched additional vehicles from different fire stations of the city. A total of 15 fire engines/tenders were deployed at the spot.
Firefighters adopted a strategy to surround the fire by spraying water from multiple directions:
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Use of hydraulic platform and sprinkler: Modern equipment was used to supply water to the upper floors of tall buildings and shops.
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Long hose pipe in narrow streets: Heavy fire engines were not able to enter the narrow streets of the market, so the fire brigade personnel supplied water inside by connecting hundreds of meters long pipes.
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Intensive Cooling Operation: After about three to four hours of continuous and risky efforts, the main fire was brought under control, after which a cooling operation was carried out to extinguish the sparks burning inside.
According to preliminary investigation and eyewitnesses, the primary cause of the fire is believed to be electrical short circuit. Chandni Market has a large number of shops selling electronic goods, readymade garments, plastic products and packaging materials. Due to the storage of highly inflammable material in these shops, the fire took a huge form in no time.
Traders say that in view of the festive season (Dussehra, Diwali and Chhath), new stock was kept in the shops and warehouses. In this fire, the entire stock of many shops was burnt to ashes, due to which the traders had to face huge financial loss. However, it is a matter of relief that people were taken out of the shops in time, due to which no casualty has been reported.
This accident that happened in Chandni Market of Patna once again exposes the serious neglect of fire safety norms in old and dense markets. Like Lucknow’s Aminabad, Kanpur’s Sisamau or Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, this area of Patna is also facing the problem of narrow roads and web of dilapidated hanging electrical wires.
Traders organizations and local citizens have demanded from the administration that overhead power cables in such sensitive markets should be taken underground and regular fire safety audits should be conducted compulsorily. Also, permanent arrangement of mini fire tenders or underground water hydrants should be made at the mouth of narrow markets so that prompt action can be taken in case of emergency.
Senior officials of the district administration and police visited the incident site and took stock of the situation. The administration has directed the joint team of fire department and electricity department to investigate the exact cause of the incident. The Revenue Department team is conducting a survey for a detailed assessment of the loss so that relief can be provided to the affected shopkeepers as per rules. At present, as a precautionary measure, power supply has been shut down in the area and the situation is completely under control with the deployment of security forces.