Fire at Vadodara cracker market, 1 dies

A huge fire broke out in Vadodara at a makeshift cracker market in Polo ground area which claimed one life and resulted in huge financial losses to shopkeepers and visitors, police said.

According to police, one of the shops in the market caught fire after a customer tested a toy pistol. “We believe that the fire broke out at around 3.30 pm in shop no. 9 in the market. A customer was checking a toy pistol which resulted in the catastrophe,” police inspector of Navapura, CB Rathod said.

“It was a huge fire. All the shops in the market were gutted. A boy in the age group of eight to 10 years was charred to death. As of now we do not know his identity,” Rathod added.

Polo ground on Raj Mahal road is a popular market for buying crackers in Diwali season. Vadodara Municipal Corporation gives temporary permission to the shops to sell crackers. This season there were 55 shops in the market.

The fire brigade had to rush in 27 fire tenders to control the flames. “It was a horrible scene there. We could see flames from a distance of two km. Around 25 vehicles also caught fire and were destroyed,” police sources added.

The situation is under control and police and fire brigade have begun their investigations into the incident.