Major fire at Surat textile complex; no casualties

A major fire broke out this morning at one of the complexes housing Surat’s textile market in the crowded area of city’s Sahara Darwaja.

While no loss of life or injuries were reported, the fire, which engulfed five floors of the eight-storey building, is believed to have caused loss of property worth about ₹100 crore.

The Orchid complex, which mainly houses godowns and offices of nearly 300 textile traders, caught fire at 9.30 am. The goods lying inside the godowns were mainly the polyester fabrics, including sarees and raw material as well as packaging materials.

“The fire spread to other floors quickly. The fire department had to announce a ‘Brigade Call’ considering the rage of the fire. Around 30 fire tenders were pressed into service. There has been no loss of life,” said Surat Mayor Raju Desai.

However, the cause of fire was not immediately known.

According to initial reports, the fire first broke out at Vipul Saree Shop on the fourth floor. The textile hub Surat houses over 150 such towers where city’s textile markets are located.

“It took us several hours since morning to bring the fire under control. Now the cooling off process is under way and by later tonight or tomorrow morning we will be able to completely douse the fire,” said Pankaj Patel, Chief Fire Officer, Suart Municipal Corporation.

The fire caused long traffic jam on the ring road, which passes through the Sahara Darwaja area of the city. The civic authorities have ordered an inquiry into the incident, which is the fourth such incident in the past two months.

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