Fire in Chandni Chowk, congestion delays fire tenders by hour

A fire broke out on Wednesday evening in two shops in central Delhi’s Chandni Chowk, one of the busiest markets in the national capital, during the ongoing festival season.

Though there was no casualty, the blaze gutted much of the two shops – one selling bags and suitcases and the other dealing in sarees.

The fire was reported from Naya Katra market in Chandni Chowk.

“We sent eight fire tenders to douse the flames. The fire was controlled in an hour. Cooling operations was initiated after that,” a fire officer told Hindustan Times over phone.

A local trader said traffic jams and encroachments on the road leading to the fire spot delayed fire tenders by nearly an hour.

“The area was choked because of traffic congestion, illegal parking and encroachment and the fire tenders took about an hour to reach,” alleged Sanjay Bhargava, president, Chandni Chowk Sarv-Vyapar Mandal.

“Despite court orders, authorities have failed to come up with a concrete plan to decongest the area. We are thankful the fire was not a major one. We have been protesting against loading and unloading of goods during daytime, but to no impact,” he added.

The fire department said they received a call at 5.40 pm and their fire fighters reached the spot by 6 pm.

Before the fire fighters reached the spot, local traders used multiple fire extinguishers to prevent the spread of the flames to other shops.