Overview
- The fire began around 7 a.m. Thursday at Sethi Complex (Purohit Ji Ka Katla) in Tripolia Bazaar and spread from cartons outside a second-floor garment shop to over 20 shops and warehouses.
- Firefighters and Civil Defence teams deployed more than 15 fire brigade vehicles to fight the blaze but narrow lanes and large amounts of flammable stock slowed containment.
- Police said a preliminary probe points to a short circuit while traders claim welding and illegal construction on upper floors produced sparks that ignited goods, and access to the site has been restricted for further investigation.
- Shopkeepers moved stock to safer places and used buckets to douse flames, one guard suffered a burned hand when escaping, and officials reported no deaths though smoke caused breathing problems and heavy local traffic.
- Kishanpole MLA Amin Kagzi has demanded re‑examination of Fire NOCs and said fire safety systems had not been inspected for nearly three years, a concern made sharper by traders’ claims of a prior rooftop fire during Makar Sankranti.