Jaipur: A massive fire broke out around 7am Thursday in Manihari Bazaar inside Purohit Ji Ka Katla, Tripolia Bazaar, gutting about 25 shops in one of Jaipur’s most congested markets and exposing the fire-safety risks that traders said they had warned about for years.The blaze started on the first floor of a bangle warehouse in Sethi Complex and spread quickly through shops and warehouses stocked with clothes, plastic goods, cosmetics and lac bangles. There was no loss of life as the market had not opened for the day, but traders said losses ran into crores of rupees.Nearly 30 fire tenders struggled for hours to bring the flames under control. The fire was doused around 2.30pm, but sparks and smoke continued to rise from parts of the market till late evening, forcing officials to keep the area under watch in the Walled City stretch close to Hawa Mahal.The first alert came from Vikram, a night-shift guard at Purohit Ji Ka Katla, who noticed the fire and posted a message on a market WhatsApp group. Around the same time, personnel at the nearby Manak Chowk police station saw smoke rising and alerted the fire brigade. People at the spot said the fire was caused by a short circuit.Fire tenders took nearly an hour to reach the spot because of narrow lanes and traffic in the Walled City. Police stopped traffic between Badi Chaupar and Tripolia Gate as fire teams parked vehicles and water tankers on the main road and ran long hoses into the old market, where the inner lanes are so narrow that the affected shops can be approached only on foot.From around 8am to 5pm, more than 60 fire brigade teams and vehicles, along with PHED water tankers, remained engaged in firefighting and cooling operations. Around 30 fire tenders and 50-60 fire personnel were deployed. Officials said smoke continued from some shops that were shut, delaying full access to the affected stretch.ACP (Manak Chowk) Piyush Kaviya said poor ventilation made the operation difficult. “The fire had spread extensively. Since there was no proper ventilation, the personnel involved in firefighting could not reach the affected area. There were cosmetic and clothes shops there, and the fire kept breaking out intermittently. We had to carry out some demolition as there was no other option.”Shops in Purohit Ji Ka Katla and Johari Bazaar remained shut Thursday. Police barricaded the route between Badi Chaupar and Tripolia Bazaar and deployed personnel at the main entrances to the Katla. Traffic diversions triggered congestion at several points in the Walled City.Kamal Pitliya, president of the Purohit Ji Ka Katla traders’ association, said the timing of the fire had averted a tragedy. “If this fire had broken out around 11am, loss of life would have been certain. There is not even a proper route for rescue here. I had personally requested former mayor Kusum Yadav to visit the area and had told her that the fire-safety system here was not working properly, but nothing has happened till today.”Traders said 14 fire hydrants had been installed in the market but had “never been used”. They claimed smoke detectors, pressure transmitters and hydrants were now non-functional.Purohit Ji Ka Katla has more than 500 shops and draws thousands of traders, customers and foreign tourists daily.
