Major Fire Erupts in Jaipur's Sodala Area
A significant fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday morning at Bikaneri Rasgulla Namkeen Bhandar, a popular shop selling snacks and sweets located on Ajmer Road in the Sodala police station area of Jaipur. The blaze, which started suddenly between 4 am to 5 am, spread with alarming speed and intensity, eventually engulfing a nearby marriage garden as well.
Intense Firefighting Operation
Local residents first noticed the massive flames and thick smoke billowing from the area during the early morning hours. The visibility of the fire from considerable distances prompted immediate alerts to both the local fire office and police control room. According to police officials, the first official information about the incident reached them around 5:20 am through the control room.
Emergency response teams sprang into action immediately, dispatching at least six fire tenders to the location. However, firefighters encountered significant challenges upon arrival. The shop was securely closed at the time of the incident, trapping the fire inside and making it difficult to access the source of the blaze.
A fire officer explained the complexity of the situation: "As the shop was closed at the time of the incident, the fire remained trapped inside, making it difficult for us to reach its source. We had to use one JCB machine to break open the shop's shutter to create an entry point."
Challenges and Critical Discoveries
The firefighting operation faced multiple obstacles beyond the sealed shop. Narrow streets and densely populated surroundings in the area made it extremely challenging for fire crews to maneuver and access the burning structures effectively. It took nearly three hours of relentless effort before the firefighters could completely extinguish the flames.
During their operation, fire personnel made a potentially life-saving discovery inside the shop - three LPG cylinders that were at risk of exploding due to the intense heat. The cylinders were immediately removed from the premises, preventing what could have been a much worse disaster.
Police confirmed that while there was no loss of human life in the incident, the financial damage has been substantial. Goods and structures at both the sweet shop and the adjacent marriage garden were completely destroyed, with initial estimates suggesting losses amounting to several lakhs of rupees.
Investigation Underway
Preliminary investigations by authorities point toward a short circuit as the likely cause of the devastating fire. Both police and fire department teams have initiated a comprehensive probe into the matter to determine the exact circumstances that led to the outbreak and rapid spread of the flames.
The incident has raised concerns about fire safety measures in commercial establishments located in densely populated areas of Jaipur, particularly those dealing with flammable materials like cooking oils and LPG cylinders commonly used in sweet and snack preparation.
