A massive fire broke out at Chowk Bazaar, Jorhat, Assam on Thursday night. Twenty-five fire tenders were fighting the blaze at market in the heart of Jorhat town. Over 150 shops were gutted, said police officials.
The fire started at a cloth shop near the main gate of the market.
"As of now we can't say about the damage figure, but more than 100 shops have been damaged as it's a commercial area. Fire tenders have rushed to the area. Now the situation is under control. We suspect that the fire broke out due to a short circuit," said Jorhat SP, ML Meena
There was no report of any casualty as all shops were closed with owners and staff having left for their homes, police said.
Those gutted were mostly cloth and grocery shops, they added.
Additional fire tenders were brought in to fight the devastating blaze from the nearby towns of Titabor and Mariani, and the Golaghat district, officials said.
The fire tenders were finding it difficult to reach the spot due to narrow roads, locals said.
The losses, expected to run into crores of rupees, can be ascertained only after the fire was extinguished, police said.
This is the second incident of a major fire in Jorhat in two months. A massive fire in December gutted several shops in the Marwari Patty area.
(With agencies input)
