A massive fire that broke out at the Food Corporation of India (FCI) warehouse in Thangadh’s Heater Nagar, Surendranagar, destroyed 70,000 kg of groundnut on Thursday morning.

Five teams of firefighters from Surendranagar, Thangadh, and Chotila rushed to the spot and made efforts to control the fire by spraying water. To douse the fire, the firefighter teams broke down the warehouse wall and some shutters with the help of bulldozers and other equipment.

After prolonged efforts for 2-3 hours, the blaze was brought under control. No casualties have been reported.

However, around 2,000 sacks of groundnuts stored by the government were destroyed in the fire. 

Regarding the incident, Gujarat State Co-operative Marketing Federation Chairman Dilip Sanghani alleged, “Fire does not break out under normal circumstances. It is set to cover up a scam. The report of the fire that broke out in the groundnut godown in the past has not yet been released. A thorough investigation should be conducted keeping the godown owner at the centre. The godown owner, officials, and employees may be involved in the scam.”