Unit-1 Market Shut After Fire; BMC Blames Vendors

Bhubaneswar: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Sulochana Das on Tuesday held vendors responsible for the massive fire that gutted the Unit-1 Market complex, citing repeated violations of fire safety norms. Following the incident, the BMC has ordered the closure of the market for a day, with the possibility of extending the shutdown if required.

Speaking to the media, the Mayor said vendors had consistently ignored BMC’s appeals to avoid storing inflammable materials and using plastic sheets for extending their shops. “Despite repeated warnings, vendors did not comply with safety norms. The financial loss is extensive, but fortunately, no lives were lost as the fire broke out at night when no one was sleeping inside the shops,” she said.

Das added that an investigation would be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of the fire. She noted that fire incidents have been recurring at the Unit-1 Market due to overcrowding and unsafe practices. “Shop owners must replace plastic sheets with tin roofing and strictly follow regulations,” she stressed.

According to reports, the fire broke out around 2 am and quickly spread through the congested market area, engulfing nearly 50 shops. The blaze was brought under control after nearly three hours of intense firefighting involving 13 fire tenders.

More than 70 firefighters, led by senior fire officials, along with two units of the Striking Fire Force, were deployed to douse the flames and carry out rescue operations. Chemical foam compounds, fire proximity suits, JCB machines and robotic monitors were used, playing a crucial role in controlling the fire.

Preliminary estimates suggest that property worth around Rs 1 crore was destroyed in the blaze.