Fifteen shops were gutted in a blaze at Bidhan Market, the largest retail hub in Siliguri on Saturday morning.

Altogether, eight fire engines — seven from the Siliguri fire station and one sent by the BSF — worked for two hours to control the fire.

Bapi Saha, the secretary of Bidhan Market Byabsayee Samiti, said the fire broke out at around 10am.

“As I learned about it, I immediately informed the Siliguri fire station. They reached the spot soon with two engines but were not adequate to douse the flame. Later, more fire engines reached the spot. One came from the BSF,” said Saha.

“By noon, they could control the fire but 15 shops were completely gutted in the blaze by that time. The estimated loss is at least ₹25 crore. It is a major loss for the traders here ahead of the festive season,” he added.

Initially, residents spotted a thick smoke emanating from one of the shops. Soon, the fire spread to the neighbouring shops.

Located in the heart of the city, the market has 1,650 shops, selling essential commodities, garments, electronics and household articles. Usually, the daily transaction here is around ₹20 crore.

"Ahead of the festival, shopowners had stocked various products which were badly damaged. It is a massive loss,” said Asit Dey, a market executive committee member.

The traders claimed that without a water reservoir on the market premises, firemen had to search for water sources to douse the blaze.