Gujarat: "Almost" half of Surat's Shiv Shakti textile market charred says Chief Fire Officer

Surat (Gujarat) [India], February 27 (ANI): Firefighters are using hydraulic platforms to battle a massive blaze that broke out at Surat's Shiv Shakti textile market on Wednesday morning, destroying nearly half of the stores, officials said, adding that dousing operations are being carried out from the outside due to the building's unstable structure.
Additionally, authorities have sealed off the area, evacuated people, and deployed police teams to ensure safety and control traffic.
Chief Fire Officer Basant Kumar Parikh said the high temperature inside the building is making firefighting efforts challenging. "The temperature is extremely high inside because there was a lot of material kept there. We got the first call yesterday at around 8 AM. We are not sure about the stability of the structure of the building. We are using a hydraulic platform and trying to douse the fire from outside. Almost 50 percent of the stores have caught fire," he told ANI.
Meanwhile, firefighting teams continued their efforts to bring the fire under control.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Bhagirath Gadhavi said the entire area has been sealed off while multiple teams work to contain the situation.
"Fire brigade teams are engaged in extinguishing the fire in the Shiv Shakti cloth market. The entire area has been cordoned off; the Police have evacuated the entire area. Police have also been deployed on a large scale. Work is being done to ensure that there is no traffic in the surrounding areas. All teams are deployed here. There are other shops here, so the Police are present here to ensure their safety. There are 800 shops in Shiv Shakti market, all shops are closed, shops in the surrounding markets have also been closed," DCP Gadhavi told ANI. (ANI)