A major fire broke out in Chandni Chowk area of north Delhi on Thursday and spread to several shops, gutting goods and property worth crores of rupees. No one was reported hurt as yet, officials said. "A call related to the fire was received at 5 pm from Chandni Chowk area. The fire was in Marwadi Katra, Nai Sadak," DFS chief Atul Garg said. Fourteen fire tenders were rushed to the spot initially, but as the fire spread to other shops, 26 more vehicles were pressed into service, he said.
"Our teams are working at the site and trying to douse the flames. The fire is massive and the operation may take more time to douse the flames completely. So far, we have not received any injury to anyone," Garg said. "Now we are using water bowser to douse the flames," he added. The main building where the fire started has collapsed and efforts were on to contain the fire from spreading to several other shops, interconnected, which store garments, he said. The officer said the narrow lanes of the area threw an additional challenge to the firefighters as they were forced to station their tenders 200 to 300 meters away from the main spot.
"We are also using hydraulic machines to fight the fire from all locations," he said. A BJP spokesperson said that the fire started from Marwadi Katra market and spread to Anil Market. A building at the back side of the market has collapsed due to fire and water pressure, an official said.