UP: Seven firecracker shops in Mathura destroyed in blaze, 9 injured

Mathura/Lucknow, Nov 12 (PTI) Nine people, including a fireman, were injured on Sunday in a fire that gutted seven firecracker shops and 10 motorcyles in Gopalbagh on the outskirts of Uttar Pradesh's Mathura city, officials said.

The incident took place in the afternoon at a temporary firecracker market set up at Raya for Diwali, Mahavan Circle Officer Alok Singh said. He added that there were several people at the market.

"Seven shops selling firecrackers in the Gopalbagh area caught fire. Nine people suffered burn injuries. It seems that the fire was caused by an electrical short circuit," Raya police station SHO Ajay Kishor said. He added that the seven shops had permission to sell firecrackers.

Of the nine hurt, four suffered serious burn injuries. They have been sent to the SN Medical College in Agra for treatment, Alok Singh said. The rest are under treatment at the Mathura district hospital, the officials added.

In the incident, fireman Chandrashekhar, who was deployed at the market, was injured while trying to stop the fire from spreading further to about six other shops and saving people, the officials said.

"Seven shops bore the maximum damage. Their owners were injured while they were trying to save their goods from the fire. Fireman Chandrashekhar suffered burn injuries while saving others. Besides them, another person was also injured," Singh said.

Chief Fire Officer Narendra Pratap Singh, citing eyewitnesses' accounts, told PTI that an electricity wire fell on the firecrackers. "By the time, one could understand anything, the fire started spreading rapidly," he said.

The extent of loss of goods and property is yet to be ascertained, Narendra Singh said and added that the fire, in which 10 motorcycles were also gutted, was doused within half an hour. PTI