Madhya Pradesh News: A massive fire broke out in the Gwalior trade fair, one of the major fairs of the country, this morning. Due to the fire, its flames turned many handloom shops and godowns into ashes and then engulfed many showrooms as well. At the same time, efforts are on to control the fire. So far, the loss due to the fire is estimated to be around Rs 1.5 crore. Actually, the weather is bad in Gwalior since this morning and it is drizzling. The shopkeepers were sitting in their shops due to the cold when suddenly they saw a cloud of smoke rising towards umbrella number five and six. By the time the shopkeepers saw, the flames had started touching the sky. Seeing the news and sight of the fire, there was a stampede in the fair.
The shopkeepers first tried to control the fire themselves, but the fire kept on increasing. Meanwhile, fire brigade vehicles also reached there. According to eyewitnesses, the fire started from Chhatri 5-6 of the fair. There is a handloom shop ahead in this area and their godowns are built behind them and the smoke of the fire started rising from there. On the other hand, it is very cold here today and it is also raining. That’s why people didn’t realize it at first, but when the fire took hold and clouds of smoke started covering the sky, then the shopkeeper and others realized that a fire had started. Seeing this, the shopkeepers ran towards the fire, but by then the smoke had turned into flames. People gathered together and tried to extinguish the fire, but the fire kept on increasing.
There was commotion and stampede in the fair
The traders of the fair were horrified due to the continuous spread of the fire and there was a stampede with the commotion. The shopkeepers started to secure their goods, but due to the drizzle, they could not find any way out. Meanwhile, more than a dozen shops had been gutted in the fire. Meanwhile, after getting the information, the fire brigade vehicles deployed at the fair also reached the spot. At the same time, all the vehicles from the city reached there and started trying to control the fire, but the vehicles are facing a lot of difficulty because extinguishing the fire by keeping the shops safe is a difficult task. Despite this, the fire brigade had to demolish many shops.
Loss of one and a half crores in a dozen shops
A dozen shops have been completely burnt to ashes due to the fire. Seven of these shops are of handloom, while three are of stationery. Apart from these, there has been a lot of loss in many shops of catering and stationery. The aggrieved shopkeepers have blamed the Gwalior Trade Fair Authority and the administration for the incident. He says that this time the government, administration and authority have not given any facility to the fair, due to which the trader is upset in every way and is feeling abandoned. This incident is also the result of the same carelessness, because the electric wires are lying open at many places. This tragic incident happened due to his short circuit.
The fire brigade’s vehicle reached in half an hour
Mahendra Bhadkaria, president of the Mela Traders Union, said that the fire had spread by the time the vehicles of the fire brigade reached after half an hour. If this fire had started in the office of collectorate or municipal corporation, vehicles would have reached in ten minutes. The weather was bad and the fire started in the morning, whereas if it had started in the afternoon, it would have been a big accident. Bhadkaria, the head of the traders’ association, also expressed concern over the fact that despite such a big incident and two hours have passed, no major officer of the administration reached the spot. In such a situation, with whose help should we open shops in the fair. We have decided that we will not open the shops until the officials come here and listen to our problems and give us concrete assurance.
Get the more news updates states