A blaze destroyed 18 shops at a market in Dinhata, Cooch Behar district, on Saturday early morning.
Five fire tenders doused the flames. North Bengal development minister and Dinhata MLA Udayan Guha visited the spot and assured the affected traders of assistance.
Raju Saha, an onion trader, said some garment shopowners were loading the stock into trucks at the Chaurahat Market around 3am. “The traders noticed that smoke was emanating from a shop. Apprehensive of the fire, they called the local fire station,” said Raju.
The fire spread soon and engulfed the shops one after another. Potatoes, onion, betel nuts, ginger, garlic and some other items were stored in the shops. The Chaurahat Market is the largest marketplace in the entire Dinhata subdivision.
Soon, the traders ran to the spot and found their shops in flames. “We stood helplessly as the fire gutted our shops. The firemen tried their best but the damage had already been done,” said Amulya Saha, another trader.
Sources said the fire broke out in the Peyajpatti area of the market. “Here, wholesale shops selling potatoes, onions and some other items were located. Even yesterday, traders like Raju Saha got onions unloaded from trucks in his shop,” said a resident.
The fire came under control after around four hours.
“We reached the spot and made all efforts to control the fire. But the shops were so close that the fire spread easily. We will conduct an inquiry to ascertain the cause of the fire,” said Shankar Sen, an official of the fire services & emergency department.
Sources, however, said a suspected electrical short circuit had led to the fire.
Minister Guha said: “We will provide some financial assistance to the affected traders so that they can resume their business. The traders should also take necessary measures for fire safety to prevent such incidents in the future.”
Gopal Saha, another affected trader, said: “I have lost betel nuts worth around ₹3 lakh. All of us are yet to estimate the loss. I have no idea how to start the business again.”
