Property worth over Rs 10 crore destroyed in massive fire at cold store in Odisha

In a remarkable firefighting effort, a robotic unit helped bring a major blaze under control on Sunday at a cold storage facility near Bamra in Kuchinda area of Sambalpur district. Instead of relying solely on human intervention, the robotic unit moved close to the flames and sprayed water directly, playing a key role in containing the fire.

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Following the outbreak, three teams from the fire services rushed to the spot and launched an operation. Alongside them, the robotic unit was deployed to tackle the intense flames inside the facility.

It is said that property worth more than Rs 10 crore was destroyed in the fire. While the exact cause of the incident remains unclear, officials suspect that a short circuit may have triggered the blaze.

“I rushed here as soon as I received the news this morning. We immediately alerted the fire department and the locals about the massive fire. As of now, they (the Fire Brigade team) have not been able to bring the fire completely under control,” owner of the private cold storage facility, Anubhav Kumar Lath, said.

“The entire property has been ruined, and all the stored goods have been destroyed. This cold storage facility was a project worth at least Rs 8 crore, and there were goods worth approximately Rs 5 crore stored inside it. The stored items included mahua, tamarind, dried mango, chillies, and other such products,” Anubhav Lath stated.

“It appears the fire was caused by a fan motor burning out when it was switched on, likely due to a short-circuit. This is a massive loss of hard work, and it is particularly distressing because we have to return the goods to the people who stored them here. The total loss is estimated to be around 15 crore rupees,” the facility owner added.

Reported By: Debendra Behera