Dibrugarh: A fire tore through the daily market in Tinsukia district’s Doomdooma town on Sunday morning, gutting seven shops and causing damage estimated to run into lakhs of rupees, officials said. No casualties were reported in the incident.According to residents, the fire started around 6.15am on the upper floor of a shop owned by one Prabhu Choudhury that deals in puja items. Residents alleged that a large quantity of firecrackers was illegally stored in the shop’s godown without necessary permits, and that the fire may have originated from this stockpile.“We heard loud blasts, one after another, like bombs going off. Within minutes, the entire upper floor was engulfed in flames. By the time we could even think of saving our goods, the fire had already spread to our shops,” said another vendor.The explosions sent thick black smoke billowing over the market area, sparking panic among shopkeepers and residents nearby. Many rushed to salvage whatever belongings they could before the flames spread further.On receiving information, teams from the Fire and Emergency Services rushed to the spot and deployed five fire tenders to battle the blaze. Firefighters worked for nearly four and a half hours before the fire was brought under control.“The fire spread rapidly due to the combustible materials stored in the godown. Our priority was to prevent it from spreading to the rest of the market. We managed to contain it before it could engulf the entire market,” said a fire department official at the scene.Doomdooma MLA Rupesh Gowala visited the site to assess the extent of the damage and spoke with affected shopkeepers.Authorities said a detailed assessment of the losses is underway, and an investigation has been initiated to determine the cause of the fire.
The fire at the daily market caused damage estimated to run into lakhs of rupees
