Surat: A massive fire broke out at Shyam Sangini textile market in Saroli area in the wee hours of Wednesday, engulfing at least 10 shops on the sixth floor and triggering a major emergency response. The blaze could not be completely brought under control even by evening, nearly 18 hours after it was first reported.Surat Fire and Emergency Services (SFES) control room received the fire call at 12.52am. The department declared it a ‘major call’ and deployed more than 27 fire tenders from 20 fire stations to the site. Two hydraulic ladders and a turntable ladder were also pressed into service.The sixth floor of the market is nearly equivalent to the height of the 12th floor of a conventional building. This made firefighting operations particularly challenging.According to fire officials, there have been no civilian casualties so far. The extent of damage to property and textile stock is yet to be assessed. A fire personnel member, Pratik Patel, developed health problems after inhaling smoke and was shifted to a hospital for treatment.The market, which houses around 150 textile shops, has been sealed by SFES for inspection and other safety-related checks. Electricity supply to the building has also been disconnected and will be restored only after approval from the fire department.Officials found that the building’s firefighting system was damaged and was not functioning properly. “The NOC for the fire safety infrastructure was issued by Parth Jayram Patel, a fire officer from a third-party agency, in Feb. After finding the firefighting system damaged, SFES issued a notice to the market on Wednesday,” said chief fire officer Basant Pareek.The fire spread rapidly after large quantities of textile products were found stored in the passages and common areas of the building. With the festive season approaching, substantial stocks of textile material and garments had been stored inside shops as well as in the lobby and other common areas.The blaze spread across 10 shops on the sixth floor, though firefighters managed to contain it in one section of the floor. A large quantity of textile stock stored inside the shops was destroyed in the fire.“The blaze has been contained. We are continuing cooling operations so that the fire does not break out again at night. A thorough cooling process will be carried out to prevent any re-eruption,” Pareek said.The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. A team from the forensic science laboratory (FSL) will conduct a probe to ascertain how the blaze started.
