SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, Jan 2: More than a dozen roadside shops were gutted in a major fire at Nirsa Bazaar along the Kolkata–Delhi inter-state highway (NH-2) in Dhanbad district late on Thursday night, officials said.
The fire was spotted at around 12.30 am under the jurisdiction of Nirsa police station, located about 30 km from the Dhanbad district headquarters. The blaze spread rapidly, reducing over a dozen shops to ashes within a short time.
Officials estimated that goods worth around Rs 10 lakh were destroyed in the incident.
Fire brigade controls blaze after two hours
Nirsa SDPO Rajat Manik Bakhala said a police patrolling team first noticed the fire and immediately informed the DVC Maithon fire brigade.
“Two fire tenders were pressed into service, and after nearly two hours of firefighting, the blaze was brought under control,” the SDPO said.
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Short circuit suspected as cause
Preliminary investigation suggests that the fire broke out due to a short circuit in a transformer, which quickly engulfed nearby shops. By the time fire engines reached the spot, most of the shops had already been destroyed.
Among the damaged establishments were one fruit shop, three meat shops, a saloon, two roadside hotels, and several other small shops.
Officials assess damage, traffic unaffected
Following the incident, police and block officials reached the spot and supervised relief and safety measures. Authorities said the assessment of losses suffered by shop owners is underway.
Despite the fire, traffic movement on NH-2 remained unaffected, officials confirmed.
