Chandni Chowk Continues To Breathe Fire

Narrow Lanes, Water Shortage Pose Huge Challenges; Cooling Ops May Take Another Day

- Sakshi.Chand

New Delhi: Cooling operations continued on Friday as fresh smoke and sparks continued to emanate from the shops and buildings in Bhagirath Palace in Chandni Chowk where a massive fire broke out on Thursday night. Firefighters said the fire would be completely doused by Saturday.

A fire official said, “The shops have inflammable materials inside and the internal heat is causing smouldering. We also can’t risk the lives of fire personnel because the blaze has weakened the building structures. In fact, two buildings collapsed. While hosing, we have had to be careful since portions have developed cracks and can collapse.”

Police confirmed that the fire continued to worry. Sagar Singh Kalsi, DCP (North) said, “Even after 24 hours the fire is not completely under control. Around 150 shops have been damaged and four buildings have collapsed or partly collapsed in Mahalaxmi and Hariram market of Bhagirath Palace. No human casualty has, however, been reported.”