Fire at four places, property worth several lakh gutted

LUCKNOW: Property worth several lakhs of rupees was reduced to ashes as fire broke out in shops and farm field in four different parts of the state capital here on Wednesday, said police officials.

The first incident was reported from Rae Bareli road near Uthratia bridge under PGI police station limits where eleven makeshift shops on the roadside were reduced to ashes after fire broke out due to cigarette butt thrown by some passer-by.

Inspector of PGI police station Anand Prakash Shukla said three fire tenders were rushed to the spot as soon as information came but by then fire flames had engulfed the shops. He said the fire officials are analysing the actual amount of loss in the incident.

Another incident was reported from near BBD College on Faizabad road where fire broke out after a short circuit at a cotton workshop operational at a plot under Chinhat police station limits. The police said as many five shops, including a wooden shop, a roadside eatery, a meat shop and a paan shop located on the pavement near the workshop were gutted.

The third incident was reported from Arya Nagar locality in Naka police station limits where fire broke out in a grocery shop due to short circuit in the basement of the shop used as a godown. The police said the panic was caused when the fridge compressor blasted inside the shop due to heat generated by the flames. The near-by houses were vacated as a precautionary measure. Later, the fire flames were doused with the help of eight fire tenders.

In the fourth incident, the fire broke out in the farm field in Bhalia village under Kakori police station limits. The police said the fire broke out due to short circuit in overhead hightension electric wire passing over the field.