Fire damages about 500 shops in Delhi Shastri Park market

A massive fire gutted around 500 shops in the Shastri Park Furniture Market near New Seelampur Metro Station in northeast Delhi late Friday night, officials said. No casualties were reported in the blaze, which caused property losses worth lakhs of rupees ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha festival.

The Delhi Fire Service received a report of the fire at 11:57 p.m., according to Deputy Chief Fire Officer D.B. Mukherjee. He stated that an initial standard response was dispatched, but due to the presence of highly flammable materials, the incident was subsequently categorized as a “Medium” fire. “The primary trade conducted here involves wooden furniture, plywood, and similar materials,” Mukherjee said. Approximately 25 to 30 fire tenders were deployed to douse the flames, and firefighting operations continued through the night.

The fire spread rapidly because of the combustible contents of the shops, including wooden furniture and plywood, officials said. Thick smoke engulfed the area as flames destroyed the market. Cooling operations were underway on Saturday morning as authorities began assessing the damage.

Tension broke out during the operation after some locals allegedly pelted stones...