Major fire destroys 25 woollen market shops in Gurugram's Pataudi

A massive fire destroyed around 25 shops in the woollens market at the Ramlila Ground in Gurugram's Pataudi town on Sunday morning.

The Incident

The flames spread so rapidly that the entire market caught fire in no time after starting around 4 am. A local woman first heard a noise, discovered the fire, and woke others up, but the blaze had already grown very large by then. Fire engines from Pataudi and Manesar rushed to the scene to battle the flames, eventually bringing the fire under control after hard work. Officials confirmed that no injuries took place in this incident, though the exact cause of the fire and the full money value of the damage were not known right away.

Market Details

Locals explained that this woollens market is set up every year on the eastern part of Ramlila Maidan from November to February. This year's market opened on November 4 under the Himalayan Tribal Trade Association, featuring stalls run by vendors who came from Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. Shopkeepers stated that each shop held winter clothing worth lakhs of rupees, and since winter has not fully started yet, most of that stock was still unsold.

Context

Winter markets run by traveling vendors from northern hill regions are a common seasonal sight across various towns in north India. These temporary setups often feature dense arrangements of fabric and clothing stalls, making them highly vulnerable to rapid fire spread once an accident occurs.