KANPUR: The firefighters have finally brought the fire under control, after five days of relentless effort, in a garments complex in Kanpur’s Bans Mandi area in Uttar Pradesh.
At least 50 teams of the fire department were engaged to control the blaze, which broke out on Friday, officials said, adding that a team each from State Disaster Response Force and National Disaster Response Force were also pressed into service to douse the flames.
“The fire has been completely controlled which gutted garment shops in five different government complexes,” ADCP Headquarters of Kanpur Police Commissionerate, Rahul Mithas said.
Earlier on Sunday, Kanpur’s ADCP Lakhan Singh said, “More than 50 teams of our fire department are engaged in controlling the fire. Currently, the fire tenders have managed to control the fire on the front part of the complex, while there are still flames in some parts of the complex, which we are trying to extinguish in a few hours.”
Mithas on Wednesday said the affected traders will be allowed inside the market to search through the rubble. The policemen present at the spot were seen doing a systematic listing of the traders. Kanpur City’s Fire Officer Subhash Chandra said that the fire has been completely controlled.
“The operation is over, work will be done to remove the debris,” Chandra said. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The police suspect that it may have been caused by a short circuit.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak assured all possible help from the government to the businessmen, whose shops were affected in the fire.
The Deputy Chief Minister conducted an inspection of the situation on Friday.
Brajesh Pathak told reporters, “The important thing right now is to control the fire and ensure that no person is harmed. Our government stands with the businessmen in this hour. We will not leave them alone. The government assures all possible help to the businessmen.”
A fire broke out in the early hours of Friday at AR Tower near Hamraj Market in Bans mandi in the city, engulfed the AR Tower, and spread to nearby buildings inside Masood Complex. (ANI)