Major fire guts several shops at Panchkuva cloth market

The fire, which began early afternoon in a cloth store located opposite a nearby fire station, spread rapidly through the densely packed textile market.

SEVERAL SHOPS were gutted after a major fire broke out in the Kalupur cloth market area in Panchkuva here on Wednesday, officials said.

While no casualties were reported, the blaze could only be brought under control after several hours of firefighting, they added.

“A total of 32 fire tenders were deployed.

They included 14 water bowsers of 20 KL capacity, two mini fire tenders, five water tenders, and multiple first responder vehicles.

Around 121 personnel were involved in the operation,” said M P Mistry, the additional chief fire officer of Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation.

“The fire started at a cloth store opposite a fire station and spread quickly to the adjoining shops due to the presence of highly combustible material.”
Firefighting operations were hindered by structural collapse within the market.

“Collapsed metal sheets obstructed access, so we had to remove them using earthmovers to reach the core of the blaze,” Mistry said.

According to officials, around 25 to 30 shops were affected in the incident.

Parts of shop structures were also brought down during the operation to prevent further spread and to access smoldering pockets beneath the debris.

“There are no casualties reported,” Mistry said, adding that smoke might continue to emanate due to residual heat.

The cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained.

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