A massive fire broke out at a prominent dress showroom located on the main road near Chaitanya Temple in Jayapur on Friday afternoon, reducing clothes worth lakhs of rupees to ashes.
The incident occurred around 1 PM when smoke was suddenly detected billowing from the first floor of the showroom while the owner, Santosh Padhi, and his staff were attending to customers downstairs.
An employee suffered critical injuries while trying to douse the flames and was immediately rushed to a local hospital for emergency treatment.
Local firefighting units, led by AFO Ramesh Chandra Behera, along with Town Police IIC Ullasa Chandra Rout and Sadar Police IIC Sanjay Pradhan, rushed to the spot. Using two advanced water tenders and foam sprays, firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control after intensive efforts.
Showroom authorities stated that approximately 3,000 new garments had been procured specifically for the upcoming Dussehra festival. Preliminary investigations by the fire department suggest a short circuit triggered the blaze, causing an estimated loss of Rs 40 lakh.
