14 shops gutted in fire at Bapunagar cloth market

A massive fire broke out early Friday morning in a cluster of shops on Bhidbhanjan Hanuman Mandir Road near Bapunagar crossroads, reducing at least 14 shops, mostly selling clothes and footwear, to ashes.

The fire, which started around 5 am in one of the shops, quickly spread to adjoining establishments due to the presence of highly flammable materials. According to officials, a total of eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot after the Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) control room received a distress call.

The Divisional Fire Officer stated that when the teams arrived at the site, flames had already engulfed five to seven shops. “The fire spread rapidly because most of the shops were packed with fabric and goods for the Diwali season. After nearly an hour of continuous water jets and coordinated effort, the fire was brought under control,” he said.

No casualties were reported, though property and stock losses are estimated to run into lakhs of rupees. Firefighters had to break through one section of the market to access trapped flames, and also sprayed water from rooftops to contain the blaze.

Reports suggest that 12 shops were completely gutted, while two sustained partial damage. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined--approximately ₹1.6 cr worth of goods were destroyed in the fire.

The Bhidbhanjan Market, one of the busiest shopping stretches in eastern Ahmedabad, houses nearly 100 shops on both sides of the road between Bapunagar crossroads and Hanuman Mandir. Given the ongoing festive rush, traders said the incident had caused a severe setback just days before Diwali.

“If this had happened during evening hours, when the market is usually crowded, the situation could have been disastrous,” said a fire official

Fire officials said a forensic team will examine the site to ascertain the exact cause of the fire. Meanwhile, civic authorities have appealed to traders to check electrical wiring and safety measures in their shops as a precaution during the festive season.