Over a dozen shops were completely gutted due to a fire that broke out at the Sakchi commercial hub on the wee hours of Sunday. The fire was allegedly caused by a bonfire, past midnight at around 12:15 am.

It took seven fire tenders from both Tata Steel and the state fire department over six hours to bring the fire under control.

The seamlessly packed shops in the congested Shiv Mandir Line were saved from severe damages due to the prompt action taken by the fire department.

District fire service officials reached the spot within 25 minutes of being informed. “Sakchi police informed us about the fire around 12.20 am. We immediately sent off four fire tenders from our department and two from Tata Steel and one from Tata Motors to the spot. The fire was finally brought under control around 7 am,” said Ravinder Thakur, duty officer at the fire station in Golmuri.

According to eyewitnesses, the fire started at a cloth store and spread to other shops, including a general store, a grocery store, a musical instrument shop, and a couple of tailoring shops. According to shopkeepers, the loss caused by the fire could add up to several lakhs.

Shopkeeper Niranjan Singh, one of the affected businessmen of the commercial hub said, "A bonfire was lit near a shop at the Shiv Mandir Line to beat the intense cold. Unfortunately, it was not doused properly and could have caused the fire."

He ruled out the possibility of a suspected short-circuit.

The affected shopkeepers who rushed to the spot on getting the news post-midnight also alleged that the lone hydrant failed to function.
"We tried to operate the hydrant but couldn't. Had it been alright the action of dousing the flames would have been fast," said a shopkeeper.