Lucknow: A massive fire broke out at a grocery store in Baan Wali Gali of Chowk in the wee hours of Monday. Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly an hour before bringing it under control.The fire broke out around 2am. Noone was hurt.According to police, the Chowk Fire Station control room received information about the fire around 2.05am. Following the alert, the Fire Station Officer (FSO) of Chowk reached the spot with two fire tenders.By the time the firefighting team arrived, the fire had intensified on the ground floor of the shop. Thick smoke had filled the narrow lane, making it difficult for firefighters to enter the premises and approach the source of the flames.Fire tenders could not be taken inside the lane and had to be stationed outside.Firefighters laid long hose pipes from the vehicles parked outside and pumped water into the affected premises. Given the intensity of the blaze, a third fire tender was also called to assist in the operation.After nearly an hour of sustained firefighting, the flames were brought completely under control, preventing the fire from spreading to adjoining shops and buildings.Police said the grocery store belongs to Akash Agarwal, a resident of Baan Wali Gali. Since the shop was closed when the fire broke out, no one was trapped inside and there were no casualty.However, a substantial portion of the goods and material stored inside the shop was destroyed in the fire. Police said a short circuit is suspected to be the preliminary cause of the fire.
