Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): At least 12 shops were gutted in a major fire at a local market in Amarkantak of Anuppur district on Tuesday, said police.
Angry shop owners vandalized the firefighting vehicle for arriving late at the incident site. As per preliminary reports, short circuitled to blaze in a shop and it soon spread to adjoining outlets.
No casualty was reported in the incident, police said. The fire broke out in a shop and quickly spread to other eateries in the queue. Shop owners, workers and locals tried to control the blaze by pouring water. After being alerted, the fire department rushed firefighters to the spot to put out the blaze.
However, the owners of the gutted shops created a ruckus alleging that the firefighting team reached the spot late. The shop owners allegedly misbehaved with the firefighting team who ran out for their safety.
A video of the incident surfaced on social media, showing the vandalised firefighting vehicle. The local police reached the spot and initiated action against the miscreants. Police said the preliminary investigation suggested that the fire occurred due to a short circuit in a shop, however, more details would be known after the investigation. No casualty was reported in the fire incident, police said.
