As many as 80 makeshift shops were gutted in a massive fire that broke out in a market here early Saturday, officials said. No casualties were reported. The fire engulfed shops of Adarsh Mandi in Gomti Nagar around 2 am, destroying edible items worth lakhs of rupees.
"Majority of temporary shops were of vegetables and grocery items. As the shops were made of wood, the fire spread within no time in the Mandi area," Lucknow chief fire officer Rajendra Tiwari told reporters.
The flames soon started spreading to a nearby petrol pump and a hospital. "It was really challenging for us. If the fire had reached the petrol pump or the hospital it could have been a major tragedy. But with the timely intervention of our teams, the fire was brought under control," Tiwari said.
According to officials, only a few people were present in the area at the time of the incident. "All of them were rescued by the fire-fighting officials and police," said Tiwari.
Though the exact cause of the fire is yet to be established, authorities suspect that the fire broke out in an unauthorised firecracker shop and then spread to the makeshift shops.