Akola: A major fire broke out at Alankar Market, one of Akola’s busiest electronics trading hubs, on Tuesday afternoon, engulfing four shops dealing in electronic goods and plastic toys. The fire broke out around 2pm and continued to flare up intermittently till late evening despite an extensive firefighting operation. Traders feared losses running into crores of rupees.As per fire officer Manish Kathale preliminary findings suggested that a spark in an inverter following a power outage may have allegedly triggered the fire. The blaze reportedly started on the first floor of a shop stocked with plastic toys and electronic goods before spreading to adjoining establishments.Firefighters faced difficulties in accessing the upper floors of the building. The shutters were forced open in order to let the firefighters continue dousing the flames.Nearly 30 fire tenders were deployed to contain the blaze. However, the large quantity of plastic products and electronic goods stored inside the shops continued to fuel the fire. Heavy rain during the day offered little relief, with the flames repeatedly flaring up and thick black smoke billowing from the market.BJP MLC Vasant Khandelwal visited the site and said the fire had caused losses worth crores of rupees, with stocks of electronic goods and plastic toys destroyed.Khandelwal also questioned the emergency response, alleging that an adequate number of fire tenders did not reach the spot in time. He said he spoke to Akola municipal commissioner Dr Sunil Lahane and questioned the absence of senior civic officials at the site during the emergency.Firefighters worked in hazardous conditions, entering smoke-filled shops amid dense fumes to prevent the blaze from spreading to neighbouring establishments. Their efforts helped contain the fire and avert further damage in the densely packed commercial complex.Many of the firefighters involved in the operation are daily wage employees rather than permanent staff. Despite limited resources and difficult working conditions, they worked for several hours to bring the blaze under control.Authorities have launched an investigation to ascertain the exact cause of the fire. A detailed assessment of the losses will be carried out after the site is declared safe and the firefighting operation is fully concluded.
