Gurgaon: Around 25 shops at the woollen market in Pataudi’s Ramlila Ground were gutted in a fire that broke out early Sunday, destroying winter clothing stock worth lakhs and leaving traders from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir facing heavy losses just as the seasonal business was picking up.The fire broke out around 4 am and quickly spread across the temporary shops on the ground. The flames engulfed the stalls before traders could salvage their merchandise, reducing jackets, sweaters, woollen clothes and other winter essentials to ashes.The affected shops belonged to traders associated with the Himalayan Tribal Trade Association, who had travelled from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir to sell winter clothing in the area. Most had stocked up for the winter season, but much of their merchandise had yet to be sold when the fire broke out.A trader said, “Each shop had merchandise worth lakhs of rupees, much of which was yet to be sold as the winter business had only recently begun.” With their seasonal stock destroyed, the traders are now staring at substantial financial losses, as winter accounts for the bulk of their annual business at the market.A fire officer said fire tenders from Pataudi and Manesar were rushed to the spot after the incident was reported. “Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control, but not before it had spread through around 25 shops and destroyed their entire stock,” the officer said.The incident has also raised concerns over the traders’ ability to resume business during the remaining winter months. Affected traders said the loss of merchandise had wiped out much of their investment, while the exact value of the damaged goods was yet to be assessed.The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Officials are investigating the incident to establish how the blaze started and whether any safety lapses contributed to its spread.
