Berhampur: A shop reduced to ashes in the fire that broke out in the cracker market in the city on Saturday night.
"There was no casualty in the incident but the fire brigade personnel had to battle for four hours to extinguish the inferno completely," said a source.
Southern region fire officer Jagga Rao said the shop owners were being issued fire safety license on an annual basis.
"We have provided them the license to sell the crackers which is a seasonal business. However, stocking of crackers in huge quantity is completely illegal. We will take further action after the forensic wing of the police department investigates into the matter," he said.
Preliminary investigation suggested that the fire outbreak might have been due to electric short circuit.
"The wholesale cracker market generally opens from Dussehra to Diwali every year. There are 80 rooms in the market and last year the number of the license holders was 46," said president of Sri Sri Balunkeswar Fireworks Traders Association Inku Gouda.
"Though the market is closed now, we are following every precautionary measures suggested by the district administration to avert possible fire mishaps. All the traders have kept ready fire extinguishers in their shops and sand dunes in front of the rooms as a precondition for the renewal of the license," Gowda said.
"I don't know why the fire mishap took place. But, we will obey the orders of the district administration to follow the safety measures," Gowda further said.
"Crackers worth Rs 1 lakh have been gutted," said shop owner Srinivas Rao.
Following the incident, local residents demanded shifting of the fireworks wholesale market from their locality. "Similar fire mishap had occurred in August, 2010, in the cracker market and such mishaps are extremely dangerous for the locality," said local resident Bishnu Charan Pradhan.
"We demand setting up of a fire station in the vicinity of the cracker market. The present fire station in Berhampur is about 6km away from the market and the fire tenders have to move through the thickly-populated areas to reach here," said T. Naresh Kumar Patra, a resident of the area.
