Shops in Madhya Pradesh gutted in blaze; firefighting vehicle vandalised

The owners of the gutted shops created a commotion, accusing the firefighting team of reaching the spot late. Tensions escalated as the shop owners misbehaved with the firefighters, forcing the team to retreat for their safety

Bhopal: At least 12 tin-shed shops were gutted in a fire at a local market in Amarkantak town in Madhya Pradesh’s Anuppur district on Tuesday, after which a firefighting vehicle was vandalised for delayed arrival.

The fire broke out in a shop and quickly spread to other eateries in the queue. Shop owners, workers and locals tried to control the blaze by pouring water. Meanwhile, the Fire Department was also alerted and the firefighters rushed to the spot to put out the blaze. However, the owners of the gutted shops created a ruckus alleging that the firefighting team reached the spot late. The shop owners misbehaved with the firefighting team who ran out for their safety.

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A video of the incident surfaced on social media, showing the vandalised firefighting vehicle. Having learned about the incident, local area police reached the spot and initiated action against the miscreants. Police said the preliminary investigation suggested that the fire occurred due to a short circuit in a shop, however, more details would be known after the investigation.

No casualty was reported in the fire incident, police said. “A complaint has been filed by the Fire Department and the team has reached the spot for inspection. People involved in violence are being identified and future action will be initiated as per law. Investigation into the matter is underway,” a police official said.

The police also said that action would be initiated against people, who were running shops illegally without obtaining mandatory approval. Sources told IANS that officials from the district administration also reached the scene and carried out an inspection. Earlier, this month, on December 5, a massive fire broke out in Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary.