On Wednesday night, a massive fire broke out at a shopping complex in Odisha’s Puri district, burning practically all of the stores and wounding three people. The fire, which began about 9 p.m. at a garment store on the first floor of the Laxmi Market Complex on Grand Road, quickly spread to adjacent stores, according to press reports.
According to Ramesh Majhi, chief fire officer, twelve fire tenders and 160 fire men were dispatched to the scene to extinguish the flames. Some 140 tourists were evacuated safely from the shopping complex near the centuries-old Jagannath shrine.
According to officials, the situation is under control and a fire-fighting operation is underway.
According to SK Upadhyay, the director general of the fire department, three firefighters were unwell in the midst of the heat and smoke and had to be brought to the hospital.
Puri SP Kanwar Vishal Singh stated that efforts are being made to completely extinguish the fire.
According to local authorities, while the origin of the incident has yet to be determined, an electrical short-circuit may have ignited the fire.
