A major fire broke out early on Friday, November 6, at a four-storey commercial building in Gaffar Market, Karol Bagh, damaging mobile-accessory shops across the complex. According to Delhi Police, a PCR call about the fire was received at Karol Bagh police station at 1.28 a.m., and night staff led by the station house officer reached the spot to find Shop No. 13/21 at Puri Plaza, in Chain Wali Gali, engulfed in flames.

Source: IANS via hi INDiA

Police said the fire originated in a ground-floor shop where mobile batteries were stored, before spreading to all four floors of the building. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Madhav Kumar Chattopadhyay said the plaza is spread over about 200 square yards and comprises a basement, a ground floor and three upper floors, and that the fire first affected one or two shops at ground level before moving upward.

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Firefighting continued through the night. Police-based reports put the deployment at around 20 to 25 fire tenders, along with three CAT ambulances and two PCR vehicles, while news agency ANI reported 22 fire tenders at the spot. Chattopadhyay said there was no need for a rescue operation because nobody was trapped inside the building.

Source: ANI and PTI via Daily Jagran

Traders' losses still being assessed

BJP MP Praveen Khandelwal, who visited the spot, said it was too early to assess the full extent of the damage, but estimated that 20-25 shops may have been affected in the commercial complex. He said some traders had managed to retrieve part of their goods. BJP MP Yogendra Chandolia described the incident as extremely unfortunate and expressed relief that no lives were lost, saying the fire department had brought the blaze under control after deploying tankers through the night.

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Police said the fire was later extinguished and the situation at the spot was under control, with police personnel deployed to maintain law and order. The exact extent of property loss has not yet been established.

Source: Urban Acres (police report)

Battery overheating suspected, cause not established

Prima facie, overheating or overcharging of batteries may have caused the fire, police said, while stressing that the exact reason is yet to be established. A report will be obtained from the Delhi Fire Service and the Electrical Inspector, a forensic science laboratory team will examine the building for any other combustible material, and police will seek a structural safety assessment from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to check whether the damaged building poses any risk to life.

Source: PTI via Daily Jagran

Following the blaze, the Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh urged the Delhi government and the concerned authorities to conduct comprehensive fire-safety audits of markets, saying the fire had raised serious concerns over safety in commercial establishments during the ongoing festive and wedding season.

Source: IANS via hi INDiA