Five shops were gutted in fires at the Kurseong subdivision of Darjeeling and in Balurghat town in the early on Thursday.

Residents of Dudhia in the Kurseong subdivision, approximately 30km from Siliguri, spotted flames at a market around 4am.

The villagers rushed to douse the blaze after informing the fire department. Two fire tenders from the Kurseong and Matigara fire stations were dispatched and extinguished the blaze after nearly two hours.

Two shops were gutted. Anit Thapa, the chief executive of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, visited the area later and spoke with the owners. He has assured them of all necessary assistance for their rehabilitation, said a source.

Residents requested that a fire tender be permanently deployed for the area, as the nearest fire station at Matigara is approximately 20km away.

Three shops were gutted in a fire at a market in the Bridge Kali Mandir area of Balurghat town.

A source said a wooden furniture shop, a steel furniture shop and a stationery shop were destroyed.

Five fire engines and police rushed to the scene. It took around three and a half hours to douse the flames.

The shop owners said goods worth around ₹50 lakh were reduced to ashes. The residents suspect that an electrical short circuit caused the blaze.

The police and the fire department are investigating the cause of the fire, said
a source.