Fire in Chandni Chowk, 80 shops gutteed

A massive fire in Moti Bazar in Chandni Chowk area here gutted around 80 shops and damaged property worth over Rs one crore last night.
The fire is suspected to have been caused by a short- circuit. According to the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), an old house in the area that was engulfed by fire collapsed. However, no casualties were reported.
The fire broke out in Katra Dhuliya, that houses a cluster of cloth shops, at 9.30 pm, said a senior officer from Delhi Fire Services.
As many as 29 firetenders were rushed to the spot and the blaze was brought under control by 2.30 AM today.

Since the fire broke out at night, the shop owners and workers were not present, he said.
The incident triggered a war of words between the BJP and the AAP today over the role of area MLA Alka Lamba, who was seen on a hydraulic crane of the fire brigade during the dousing operation.

The BJP filed a police complaint against Lamba accusing her of "hindering" the operations while the AAP MLA said she was called to the site to "manage" the crowd when the blaze broke out.
However, Delhi Fire Services said that the MLA neither participated nor disrupted firefighting operations.

Police said that the cause of fire is still under investigation. Prima facie, it is suspected that the fire could have started due to a short-circuit.
The cooling operation is on. The local traders claimed that the fire had caused them losses worth over a crore.
In a statement, the NDMC said that the Dangerous Building Cell officials were at the site and keeping a vigil on the affected structures.
They said that after the firefighting operation is over, they will be carrying out an inspection of the area and dangerous portions will be demolished.