A major fire broke out at a fancy store in the Old Settlement area of Kantabanji town in Balangir district on Wednesday night.
The swift response by the fire brigade helped prevent the blaze from spreading to nearby shops, averting a major mishap.
The fire broke out at Ganesha Fancy Store, located on the road leading to Anand Agrawal’s weekly market. Local residents noticed smoke and flames suddenly coming out of the shop and immediately alerted the fire brigade.
On receiving the information, the fire brigade rushed to the spot and conducted firefighting operations for a prolonged period before bringing the blaze under control. Local Kantabanji police and employees of the electricity department were also present at the scene and monitored the situation.
Several fancy items and other goods kept inside the store were completely burnt and destroyed in the fire. A short circuit is initially suspected to be the cause of the blaze.
The situation could have turned more serious as several other shops, including Gupta Book Store, are located near Ganesha Fancy Store. However, the fire brigade managed to control the flames in time, preventing the fire from spreading to the adjoining shops.
Preliminary information suggests that property worth lakhs of rupees was destroyed in the incident. However, the exact cause of the fire and the total extent of the damage will be ascertained after a detailed assessment.
