Surat: The fire that raged through Shyam Sangini textile market in Saroli for nearly 20 hours on Wednesday was deliberately set, police said after CCTV footage showed an unidentified man entering the building with what appeared to be an inflammable liquid shortly before the blaze broke out.Saroli police have registered an FIR against an unidentified person and launched an investigation to identify the man and establish the motive behind the arson.CCTV footage showed the man entering the building with the inflammable substance at around 12.20pm on Wednesday. Police said their suspicion of foul play was further strengthened during interactions with traders at the market.“We are investigating the motive behind setting the blaze. It could be due to internal rivalry between traders or the handiwork of a disgruntled employee,” a senior police officer said.Police have invoked Section 326(g) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to mischief by fire or explosive substance with the intent to destroy a building.While police investigate the suspected arson, the Surat Fire and Emergency Services (SFES) has identified factors that may have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. Fire officials found huge quantities of textile material and garments stacked in the common passages outside shops on multiple floors.The highly combustible material provided fuel for the flames and also obstructed firefighters from reaching the affected shops, making the operation more difficult.Another major concern was the failure of the building’s firefighting system soon after the fire broke out. The diesel pump stopped functioning and the battery was discharged, leaving the system effective for only about 30 minutes. Firefighters then had to rely on water brought by SFES fire tenders throughout the operation.Officials said textile consignments are often delivered at night, when transport operations are easier. Since the shops remain closed, the material is reportedly left in the common passages until the next morning.“An FSL team will investigate to determine how the fire started. The common observation of our teams was that a large quantity of combustible material had been stored in the passages of Shyam Sangini market,” said Basant Pareek, chief fire officer.Fire officials said the high temperature persisted even after the flames were brought under control, requiring continuous water spraying to prevent the textile material from reigniting.The suspected deliberate ignition, combustible material stored in common passages and the failure of the building’s firefighting system have raised serious questions over fire-safety compliance at the market.
