Chandigarh: Seventeen years after a blaze in a neighbouring building killed four people, fire once again tore through the congested Sector 22 market on Wednesday — this time gutting a two-storey photography lab that, according to early findings, was operating without a fire safety certificate despite an MC notice already having been served.The fire broke out around 1pm in the lab located on the first and second floors of a commercial building opposite the Sector 17 bus stand. Within minutes, thick smoke billowed out of the structure as flames engulfed both floors, destroying all photographic equipment, electronic machines, wooden fixtures and business records. The ground floor, which houses a mobile shop, escaped damage. No injuries or casualties were reported till the time of filing the story, largely due to timely evacuation and the fire being confined to the upper floors.The intensity of the blaze prompted an immediate, large-scale multi-agency response. More than a dozen fire-fighting vehicles were deployed, including seven MC fire tenders, one each from Panchkula and Mohali, a private tender, and two hydronic vehicles. With the fire consuming material at high speed, the tenders had to make several trips to nearby water sources to maintain pressure.Firefighters said their biggest challenge was preventing the flames from leaping to adjoining buildings in the tightly packed market. “We first positioned two tenders at the rear and stationed the rest in front to create a water curtain. The priority was to stop the fire from spreading. It is clear some highly inflammable material or chemicals were stored inside, which caused the fire to intensify and made the operation more difficult,” a fire department official told TOI.The blaze was brought under control after more than three hours of continuous firefighting. While the exact trigger is yet to be determined, initial inputs point to a suspected short circuit, compounded by the inflammable material inside the lab.Officials said a detailed investigation will be conducted. “A comprehensive report will be prepared, but the first priority was containing the fire and safeguarding nearby shops,” an MC officer said.The location of the shop inside one of Chandigarh’s most congested commercial pockets complicated the response. Haphazardly parked vehicles blocked movement, forcing police and fire personnel to appeal to shopkeepers and customers to clear the approach road. Though fire engines reached within five minutes, smooth access remained a struggle until several people moved their vehicles out in time.Chandigarh Police teams also reached the spot to control the swelling crowd. Hundreds of onlookers gathered as the flames raged, prompting police to cordon off the area to allow firefighters space to work efficiently and prevent any mishap.By late afternoon, charred remains of printing machines, frames, chemicals and electrical wiring lay scattered across the blackened floors—an eerie reminder of the 2009 fire tragedy that had unfolded just a building away.As investigators piece together what sparked Wednesday’s blaze, questions around fire safety lapses, enforcement, and the vulnerability of the market’s aging structures have resurfaced, bringing renewed scrutiny to one of the city’s busiest shopping corridors. Box: ‘Fire staff responded quickly’Joint municipal commissioner-cum-chief fire officer Inderjeet Singh told TOI, “It was a major fire, but the situation was controlled effectively by the fire and emergency staff. Dousing the flames and saving adjoining buildings was top priority for us, which our firemen did bravely, and no human injury was reported. The fire started at 1.07pm and our fire tenders reached the spot at 1:10pm, showing a quick response. Fifteen fire tenders were pressed into action.” Fatal incident April 9, 2009 |Four people died of suffocation after a fire engulfed two floors of a showroom in the Sector 22 market. The floors housed a digital photo lab where highly inflammable chemicals were stored, turning the blaze deadly for those trapped inside. Haphazard parking outside the building further hampered firefighting efforts.Recent firesApril 25, 2025 | A fire broke out on the second floor of a house in Karsan Colony, Sector 52. Neighbours rescued a four-year-old child before fire tenders arrived. Firefighters controlled the blaze within 30 minutesMay 24, 2025 | A gas supply pipeline caught fire near the Sector 36/37 light point. The flames also damaged the cover of the adjoining gutter line. Shopkeepers alerted the fire department, which reached promptly and doused the blazeJune 23, 2025 | A fire erupted in the ladies’ bar room and part of the main bar room of the Punjab and Haryana high court around 5am. While no injuries were reported, wooden and electrical items were destroyed. The high court’s in-house firefighting system helped bring the fire under control quickly. The bar association pegged the losses in lakhsDec 20, 2025 | A late-night fire gutted a sweets and bakery shop in Sector 17. There were no injuries, but a large quantity of edible stock, electrical items and other goods was destroyedFeb 12, 2026 | A minor fire broke out in the DC Office building in Sector 17 during the evening. Firefighters reached on time and extinguished the flames. No untoward incident was reported
