Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A major accident was averted as the massive fire that engulfed a firecracker shop and warehouse near Halalpur petrol pump in the early hours of Friday raised serious concerns over the effectiveness of recent fire safety inspections conducted by the district administration.
As flames shot up to 80 feet, an employee saved his life by jumping out of the premises. While no casualties were reported, the blaze destroyed the establishment and caused losses worth lakhs of rupees.
The incident is particularly significant because the district administration had conducted a fire safety audit of 16 firecracker shops in Bairagarh barely two weeks ago, including the affected Soni Firecracker Shop.
Despite the inspection, no major safety deficiencies were reportedly identified and the shop was allowed to continue operations.
Adding to the concerns, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) fire officials confirmed that the shop was equipped with only four small fire extinguishers, raising questions about whether adequate fire-fighting arrangements were in place considering the highly combustible nature of the business.
BMC Fire Officer Saurabh Patel said that authorities had launched a technical investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire, which remains unknown and suspicious.
Ten fire tenders deployed
According to Fire Officer Patel, the fire department received information about the incident at 4 am and immediately mobilised emergency teams.
Electricity supply in the area was temporarily disconnected and police cordoned off nearby roads to prevent public movement.
A total of 10 fire tenders from Fatehgarh, Bairagarh, Gandhinagar and BHEL fire stations battled the blaze for more than three hours before bringing it under control.
Although the warehouse was situated about half a kilometre from the main Halalpur firecracker market, nearby residential areas remained on high alert throughout the operation.
Explosions trigger panic near petrol pump
The fire broke out at 3.30 am at the warehouse located on Bairagarh Road near a petrol pump.
As flames spread through the large stockpile of firecrackers, continuous explosions sent sparks, burning debris and thick smoke across the area, creating panic among nearby residents.
The detonations made it difficult for firefighters to approach the source of the blaze, while flames reportedly shot up nearly 80 feet into the air. With a petrol pump located close to the site, authorities treated the situation as extremely high-risk.
