1 dead, 45 shops gutted in fire at cracker market in Rourkela

Rourkela: In a tragic incident on the eve of Diwali, one person was killed and 45 cracker shops were gutted when a fire broke out at a market in Rourkela late last night.

The cracker shops located near Power House Road caught fire at around 2.35 am and were burnt into ashes within few minutes.

Apart from this, 18 motorcycles and one trailer were also damaged in the blaze.

Property worth more than Rs 1 crore was gutted, said sources.

While the deceased has been identified as Biswajit Jena, the one injured in the mishap is undergoing treatment at the government hospital.

Pradumnya Kumar Mishra, DSP, Rourkela, informed "Total nine fire brigade units were pressed into service to bring the fire under control."

The reason behind the fire will be known after a thorough probe, the DSP added.