by Deepak Kumar
Bokaro: A devastating fire broke out late Thursday night near Bokaro railway station, reducing over a dozen makeshift shops to ashes. Although no casualties were reported, the blaze caused significant property damage, with losses estimated at around Rs 20 lakh.
According to local sources, the fire started around midnight and quickly spread to nearby stalls, engulfing them in flames. Among those affected were shops owned by Manoj Kumar, Manish Kumar, Nagendra Yadav, Bhim Sao, Balmiki Sao, Tuntun, Tulsidas, Manish, and Dhananjay. The Jhalda Hotel was also completely gutted in the incident.
“Fire got controlled after the stiff struggle of fire brigades and fire fighters; destroyed goods including others”, added the eyewitness.
The fire tenders succeeded in dousing the fire, after a long struggle of three hours. “More than five firefighting vehicles dozens of fire tenders along with many local peoples were joined hands for the rescue”, added another eyewitness.
RJD leader Pramod Singh, whose brother is a local shopkeeper, recounted that the fire erupted suddenly in one shop before spreading rapidly. Emergency services responded promptly, with four fire tenders deployed to the scene. After a prolonged effort, firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control.
Authorities are yet to determine the exact cause of the fire, and further investigation is underway.
