A massive fire broke out late Tuesday night around 12 a.m. at Keshopur Mandi in Delhi’s western district. The blaze spread rapidly, creating chaos across the area within minutes. Flames reached high into the sky, while thick clouds of smoke engulfed the market zone. Upon noticing the fire, local residents immediately informed the fire department and police. Plastic crates and vegetables stored in the area were quickly reduced to ashes. The intensity of the fire was such that it triggered panic among vendors and workers who rushed to move whatever goods they could away from the burning site.
According to reports, nearly 1,000 plastic crates, nearby stalls, and vegetables including potatoes and onions were destroyed in the incident. The presence of plastic crates caused the flames to spread rapidly, engulfing adjacent areas of the marketplace. Firefighters rushed to the scene with about a dozen fire engines, while a team from Tilak Nagar Police Station also arrived to assist. It took the firefighters nearly two hours of continuous effort to control the blaze, which was finally brought under control around 2 a.m. Authorities later confirmed that the quick response helped prevent what could have been a major disaster.
Officials stated that the fire could have been far more devastating had the crates been stored inside the market shops. Fortunately, the crates were kept in the open, which limited the damage and prevented any casualties. Even so, goods worth several lakhs were destroyed, with many small traders losing all their stock in the fire. The incident caused significant economic losses for vendors who depend on daily trade for livelihood. The cause of the fire remains unknown, though investigators are examining whether faulty wiring or discarded materials might have triggered the incident in the crowded mandi premises.
On the same night, another fire broke out in Delhi’s Devli area, where a closed factory caught flames. Fire Station Officer Vinay Kumar informed the media that the blaze erupted inside an abandoned 2,000-square-foot factory filled with wood and debris, which appeared to be a former furniture workshop. Three fire tenders were deployed to douse the flames. Since there was no electricity supply in the unit, officials suspect that the fire might have been started deliberately or caused by a stray firecracker. Thankfully, no injuries were reported, but the incident added to the night’s alarming sequence of fire mishaps.