At least 700 shops gutted as fire ravages Arunachal’s oldest market

Itanagar:  Around 700 shops were reduced to ashes in a massive fire that broke out at Naharlagun Daily Market near Itanagar on Tuesday morning, police said. There was no casualty in the fire that was first spotted around 4 am, they said.
Glimpse of Fire accident /Main daily market / Naharlagun pic.twitter.com/inzb811Zxf — Jon Pebi Tato (@JonPebitato) October 25, 2022 The market, the oldest in the state, is situated near the fire station and Naharlagun police station, around 14 km from Arunachal Pradesh’s capital Itanagar.
The fire is suspected to be caused by firecrackers or lamps lit for Diwali celebrations, police said.
Firefighters swung into action immediately but as the shops were made of bamboo and timber with dry items stored in abundance in the market, the blaze spread fast, they claimed.
Panicked shopkeepers struggled to save anything they could as exploding LPG cylinders further added fuel to the fire.
Three fire tenders, one of which was brought in from Itanagar, fought for hours to bring the blaze under control, police said.