Saheen Bagh residents woke up to news of a massive fire in the area on Saturday morning. The blaze which break out at a footwear showroom in the Shaheen Bagh factory outlet — a popular hotspot for Delhi residents — was eventually brought under control after hours of effort, with more than 10 fire tenders deployed. Police officials were also present at the spot.
According to local Shaheen Bagh residents, who gathered in large numbers after news of the fire spread like wildfire, the blaze was massive, with thick black smoke billowing from the building, visible from a distance.
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The call about the fire was received at around 11:17 am, said a Delhi Fire Services official. “Fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the site, and firefighters worked tirelessly to control the blaze,” the official added.
No casualties have been reported so far.
Workers from nearby showrooms also rushed to the scene at Shaheen Bagh. One resident, when asked about the cause of the fire, said: “This incident may have been caused by a short circuit, but I am not sure about the exact cause. I don’t have confirmation. The fire had already been burning for some time when we opened the store around 10:30 to 11:00 am. That’s when we found out about the fire in the neighboring store. The store team members were shouting that the fire had broken out.”
“The fire gradually spread, engulfing everything. At that time, no smoke was visible because the fire was in the back of the store. It had started in the stockroom, and once that was opened, we realised that the fire had spread to the outside as well,” he continued.
The showroom staff arrived on time, but they were waiting for another member to open the store, as company policy requires two people to open it, not just one, he said. “When the second staff member arrived, we learned about the fire,” another resident explained.
He also mentioned that there were fire extinguishers available. “Everything was in place, and we managed to control the fire. It could have spread further, but we were able to save the neighbouring store. However, we did incur some loss,” he said.
When asked about the extent of the damage, he said: “The entire store was damaged. Everything burned down, including all the inventory. It wasn’t just worth lakhs; there was stock worth crores. There were many pairs of shoes, and at least 40,000 worth of inventory was destroyed. The store had various categories, including men’s, women’s, kids’ items, and more.”
When asked how long it took to extinguish the fire, he explained: “The fire started at 10:30 am, and it was still burning by 2:00 pm. Firefighters were on-site working to completely extinguish the fire, and it took hours to do so.”
Another worker from a nearby showroom said: “We did everything we could to help control the fire. Our showroom is safe, but we did lose some stock, which was inevitable. After the fire, we couldn’t even retrieve the items. Everything was unprepared, and we couldn’t save much.”
“We used 70 fire extinguisher cylinders from nearby shops to help control the blaze. We managed to contain the fire in the second store, but it was massive.”
A DFS officer said: “The basement and the first of the building is engulfed in flames. Our teams are working to douse the fire completely, but it will take more time as firefighters are unable to enter the first floor.”
Teams have to climb on the roof and are trying to see how they can enter the first floor, he said. “The door of the first floor is made of iron and there is no other entry or exit point, making the firefighting operation more challenging,” the officer said.
“We are just following protocol in case of the building collapses. We have cordoned off the area so that no one can be injured,” the DFS official said, adding that firefighters are also making sure that the blaze doesn’t spread to other buildings.
A senior police officer said as they got to know about the fire, teams from various police stations were rushed to the spot. “Police teams are working with the firefighters. Our teams are trying to maintain law and order in the area. Traffic police have diverted the vehicles so that the fire engines can reach the spot,” the police officer said.
