Over 500 shops gutted in massive fire at Kanpur market

At least 500 shops gutted in a massive fire that broke out in Kanpur’s Basmandi area in the early hours of Friday. The fire broke out at AR Tower and quickly spread to adjoining complexes: Masood tower 1, Masood Tower 2, and Hamraz Complex. Around 15 to 16 fire tenders are at the spot to douse the blaze.

Fire fighters from adjoining districts were called in to supplement the fire fighting operations at the Kanpur market well stocked with apparels and hosiery items due to festive season.

The cause of fire in yet to be ascertained, however, the official suspect short circuit.

Deputy director of the UP Fire Department, Ajay Kumar told ANI, “Efforts are still being made to extinguish the fire, for which hydraulic fire tenders are being taken from Lucknow along with army vehicles and fire tenders have also been sought from the surrounding districts of the city”.

“Around 3am a fire broke out in Hamraj Market. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, but it is suspected that it may have been caused by a short circuit. An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the incident,” the official added.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the fire in the cloth market was another huge blow to the traders who are “already facing the brunt of demonetisation, GST raids and recession.” He requested the UP government to announce “true compensation” after assessing the loss caused to the traders.