At least 150 stalls and 30 vehicles were destroyed by a fire at a crackers market on Saturday in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, PTI reported. However, no casualty was reported by officials at the market, which was set up for the occasion of Diwali.
The blaze was put out 30 minutes after more than six fire engines and water tankers were sent to the Zilla Parishad Ground. Officials said the cause of the fire had not been determined. Other reports put the number of stalls destroyed at over 200. Aurangabad Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar and other senior officials visited the spot to assess the situation.
There have been several reports of similar incidents in the run-up to Diwali, which will be celebrated on October 30 this year across parts of the country. At least eight people died and several others were injured in a blaze that engulfed a firecracker store in Gujarat’s Vadodara on Friday. On October 20, six people died and 15 others were injured after flames erupted at a firecracker godown in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu.
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