On Saturday morning, the narrow lanes of Shahberi furniture market in Noida were filled with the smell of burnt wood and ash, hours after a massive fire tore through the area. The blaze gutted eight shops, leaving traders facing losses running into lakhs of rupees, with no insurance to fall back on. Videos from the scene showed thick smoke and flames soaring several meters into the sky.
Trader Loses Everything
Pradeep Roy, owner of Royyal Home Decor, lost both his shops in the fire. Standing outside the blackened remains of a business he had spent 12 years building, Roy estimated his losses at nearly Rs 30 to 40 lakh. "Everything is gone. Wooden furniture, fibre items, metal showpieces, decor products, all burnt to ashes," he told TOI. Roy had sold his house in Rohini to invest in the shops, which were his sole source of income. He lives with his wife and two school-going children. "The monthly rent alone costs over a lakh. It took years to build this, but one night destroyed everything. Now I need to rebuild from ashes," he said.
Delays in Firefighting Operations
Traders alleged that delays in firefighting operations, combined with strong winds, allowed the fire to spread from one shop to the next. According to shopkeepers, the fire broke out around 9:30 pm following a short circuit in a road-facing shop and spread rapidly through the rows behind it. However, the first fire engine arrived nearly 40 minutes after they were informed, they claimed. "The roads beside the shops are broad. Trucks regularly enter these lanes for loading and unloading furniture. The fire brigade could have easily reached on time," said one shopkeeper, requesting anonymity. He alleged that the first vehicle did not carry sufficient water and had to be driven to a nearby housing society to refill. "By then the fire had already engulfed several shops," he said.
Official Response
Chief fire officer Pradeep Kumar Chaubey, however, stated that 30 fire tenders were rushed to the site after receiving information about the fire. "Through a joint relief and rescue operation, the fire was brought completely under control. A total of eight shops sustained damage. There has been no loss of life," Chaubey said, adding that firefighting and cooling operations continued until late into the night.
Market Conditions Fueled Blaze
The fire's rapid spread was also aided by the nature of the market itself. Traders said the tin-roofed structures, gaps between sheds, strong winds during the incident, and tightly packed market lanes further accelerated the blaze, leaving little time to salvage goods. Since most shops stored wooden furniture and synthetic materials, the flames took hold within minutes, they said. Ansari, a worker at one of the gutted shops, noted the speed of the fire: "The flames kept increasing every minute. At least 20 to 30 portable fire extinguishers were used. Nothing could be saved."
Looting Amid Chaos
Saddam, a trader in fibre and glass-based furniture, said he and his workers managed to pull out a few items when locals first spotted the flames. "We somehow pulled out some products before the fire spread completely, but later many of those items were looted by passersby amid the chaos," he said, estimating his own losses at Rs 5 to 6 lakh. "We have no option except starting again. This market feeds hundreds of families. At least 35 young boys worked in the five to seven shops and godowns that were burnt," he added.
Lack of Insurance and Legal Status
The vulnerability at Shahberi runs deeper than one night's fire. Located amid densely populated residential societies and apartment complexes, the market houses over 150 shops dealing in wooden furniture, plastic and synthetic products, home decor, showpieces, and pottery. Yet much of it operates through temporary structures on encroached land, where permanent commercial construction is not permitted. The consequences of this informal status were felt acutely on Saturday. Most of the gutted shops did not hold a fire NOC or insurance coverage. "Because permanent construction is not permitted and most shops operate on unauthorised land, most owners have no insurance. The entire loss has to be borne by them alone," said a worker who has been associated with the market for nearly a decade.
