Bihar: 15 garment shops gutted in Hathua market due to lightning

As soon as the news spread, more than 18 fire brigade vehicles reached the spot around 4 am, but it took several hours to douse the fire

At least 15 garment shops were gutted after a major fire broke out on Thursday morning at Hathua, one of the oldest markets in Patna. Property worth crores of rupees were destroyed in the fire, believed to have been caused by lightning.

Fire brigade personnel try to douse the fire at Hathua market in Patna on Thursday. (HT Photo/ Santosh Kumar)

A shopkeeper at the site said the fire broke out around 3:30am. “The lightning struck a parked motorcycle, which instantly caught fire and spread to nearby shops. The fire engulfed more than 15 shops and all of them were almost completely destroyed,” the shopkeeper said.

As soon as the news spread, more than 18 fire brigade vehicles reached the spot around 4 am, but it took several hours to douse the fire.

“Locals informed the fire department and they reached the spot immediately. The fire was so horrific that it took a lot of effort by the personnel to control it,” Rajiv Ranjan, the DIG of the fire department, said.

No casualties have been reported so far, and the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained.