Major fire breaks out at market complex near Puri temple; over 140 people rescued

The three-storey market complex, a decade-old building, is situated around 300 metres from the 12th-century Jagannath Temple. Around 43 shops, mostly garment units, a bank, and hotels function in the complex.

According to sources, the fire erupted at a garment shop on the first floor of the complex around 8.30 pm. It spread to other floors while the polyester and cotton materials at the garment shops added strength to the fire. Though the exact reason is yet to be ascertained, a short circuit is suspected to have sparked the fire, they said.

Ramesh Majhi, a fire officer, told reporters that the blaze spread to other floors through plastic pipes. “We are facing a lot of hurdles in controlling the fire due to the narrow space. The three sides of the market complex have been closed because of the boundary wall. We had access to the building only from the front side but most of the shutters were down. It was difficult to cut the shutters amid massive fire and thick smoke,” he explained.

“The fire force team has come from Bhubaneswar with advanced technology to bring the fire under control,” Majhi said.

Director General of Odisha Fire Services Santosh Kumar Upadhyay said that the delay in bringing the fire to control is because of the ‘physical circumstances’ at the complex as it is not an isolated building.

“I would not guess any specific time frame but we are trying our best to douse the flame at the earliest possible time without any casualty or injury to anybody. We are exploring all possibilities. The most important target for us is to bring the situation under control,” Upadhyay told reporters.

The buildings close to the market complex have been vacated while the area has also been barricaded to ensure the safety of others. As thousands of tourists from different parts of the country enter the Jagannath Temple from the Grand Road, the police have also diverted traffic for the safety of visitors and to give free passage for the movement of fire service vehicles.

Minister of State (Home) Tusharkanti Behera is camping at the spot to monitor the situation.