Fire at Ambala cloth market, 3 shops gutted

Three cloth shops were gutted after a major fire broke out at a wholesale market here on Monday, police said.

However, no one was injured in the incident, they said.

Ten fire tenders rushed to the spot and the fire was brought under control in five hours. The firemen had to break a shop's upper storey wall to pour in water, police said.

A local resident noticed smoke coming out of one of the shops in the morning and informed the Fire Department. But before the efforts to douse the fire could begin, the flames spread to the adjoining shops, police said.

The exact cause of the fire could not be ascertained, however, a fire department personnel said it was probably due to a short circuit.

Ambala cloth market, with around 800 shops, is one of the biggest such places in Haryana. It is located close to the city railway station and a bus stand.