Pre-dawn blaze destroys over 20 shops at Dhubri Hawker’s Market, no casualties

Dhubri, Oct 21: Panic swept through Dhubri town in the early hours of Tuesday after a massive fire broke out at the Hawker’s Market, reducing more than 20 shops to ashes and leaving dozens of traders in despair.

The blaze, which reportedly started around 1 am, spread rapidly through the tightly packed marketplace before fire tenders arrived.

Eyewitnesses said thick smoke and flames engulfed the area within minutes, triggering chaos among residents and shopkeepers living nearby.

Many locals rushed to the site to help salvage goods, but the intensity of the fire made it nearly impossible to retrieve anything from the wooden and tin-roofed stalls, most of which sold garments, accessories and food items.

Fire and Emergency Services personnel, assisted by local police, reached the spot soon after receiving distress calls.

Multiple fire tenders were pressed into service, and firefighters battled for several hours before bringing the flames under control.

“By the time we managed to control the fire, almost everything was gone. The structure of the market made it difficult to contain the flames quickly,” said a fire service official present at the site.

Preliminary estimates suggest goods worth several lakh rupees have been destroyed. For many small traders, who depend entirely on their stalls for livelihood, the losses are devastating.

“Everything I had invested is gone. I don’t know how to start again,” said one distraught vendor.

The exact cause of the fire is yet to be confirmed, though officials suspect an electrical short circuit. A detailed investigation has been initiated to determine the cause.

Officials from the district administration visited the site on Tuesday morning to assess the damage and assured affected shopkeepers of possible assistance and rehabilitation measures.

No casualties have been reported so far.