Bhubaneswar supermarket fire doused after 21-hour operation; building lacked NOC

A massive fire that broke out at a supermarket in the Lingipur area of Bhubaneswar was brought under control after nearly 21 hours of continuous firefighting, officials said on Wednesday.

Deputy Fire Officer Narayan Das confirmed that the blaze was doused at around 4 pm, although smoke continued to emanate from parts of the building. He stated that the structure remains under observation and at least one fire brigade team will be deployed at the site until the smoke fully subsides and the premises are declared safe.

The fire erupted at around 10 pm on Monday at the supermarket in Lingipur, triggering a large-scale emergency response. More than 60 fire personnel were engaged in round-the-clock operations to contain the flames and prevent them from spreading to adjacent structures. Firefighters faced significant challenges as they battled the blaze through the night and into the following day.

Officials revealed that the supermarket did not have a valid  No Objection Certificate (NOC). The building reportedly had only a single entry and exit point, which hampered firefighting efforts and forced personnel to break a wall to gain access. Although the structure had an extinguisher system installed, it was suspected to be non-functional.

“The flame was doused at around 4 pm and the building is in observation. Though the building has extinguisher system but it may not be functioning. The building has only a single entry and exit point for which we have to break the wall for the firefighting operation. The building has no NOC. A detailed investigation will be carried out to ascertain the cause foe the fire,” said Das.

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Authorities said a detailed investigation will be conducted to ascertain the exact cause of the fire and examine possible lapses in safety compliance.