NEW DELHI: A massive fire at Delhi’s Shastri Park furniture market triggered chaos late Friday night after angry residents allegedly pelted fire tenders with stones, claiming that too few firefighting vehicles had initially been sent to control the blaze, according to ANI.
The fire erupted in a market lined with wooden furniture and plywood shops, allowing flames to spread rapidly through the highly combustible material. Authorities later managed to bring the situation under control after deploying nearly 25 to 30 fire tenders. No casualties were reported.
Officials said the Delhi Fire Service received the emergency call at 11.57 pm and dispatched an initial response team to the site. However, locals allegedly became agitated after reportedly seeing only two fire tenders arrive in the early stages, even as the blaze intensified.
Fearing that the flames would engulf more shops in the densely packed market, some residents allegedly began pelting stones at fire tenders and emergency personnel during the operation.
Deputy Chief Fire Officer DB Mukherjee said the incident was later upgraded to a “major” fire due to the scale of the blaze and the large quantity of flammable material present in the market.
“The Fire Control Room received information at 11.57 pm. Initially, a standard response was dispatched, but given the presence of highly flammable material such as wooden furniture and plywood, the incident was upgraded. Around 25 to 30 fire tenders were eventually deployed and the fire is now under control,” he said.
Firefighters also faced difficulties navigating the narrow lanes and congested commercial layout of the Shastri Park furniture market, officials added, as the flames spread across a large section of the area.
The exact cause of the fire remains unknown. Delhi Police will investigate the incident, while a team from the Forensic Science Laboratory visited the site to assess the damage and examine possible causes.
