Massive inferno at Assam market destroys 150 shops, not yet controlled

Jorhat: Orange flames and billowing smoke were spreading at a market in Assam's Jorhat district on Thursday night.

At least 150 shops have been destroyed in the massive fire that broke out in the heart of the town, police said.

There has been no report of any casualty as all shops were closed for the night with owners and staff left for their homes, police said.

The fire, suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit at a shop, spread fast in the congested market, they added.

Twenty-five fire engines were fighting the blaze at Chowk Bazaar and it was yet to be brought under control, they said.

Additional fire engines were brought in to fight the devastating blaze from the nearby towns of Titabor and Mariani, and the Golaghat district, officials said.

The fire engines had difficulty reaching the spot due to narrow roads, locals said.

The shops destroyed were mostly dealt in cloth and grocery, they said.

The losses, expected to run into crores of rupees, can be ascertained only after the fire was extinguished, police said.

This is the second incident of a major fire in Jorhat in two months. A massive fire in December destroyed several shops in the Marwari Patty area.

PTI with superficial editing