BHOPAL: The acrid smell of gunpowder hung in the air as smoke rose from heaps of charred debris after a massive blaze gutted a firecracker shop‑cum‑godown in Bhopal on Friday, with firefighters keeping round‑the‑clock vigil at the site.
Three fire tenders remained stationed at the spot, with personnel taking turns spraying water on smouldering remains amid fears that the intense heat could ignite unexploded crackers buried under the debris.
Adding to the concern, two petrol pumps stand just a few metres from the gutted structure.
A massive blaze tore through a firecracker shop-cum-godown located on Bairagarh Road in the Halalpura area here, triggering repeated explosions, spreading panic and prompting a large-scale firefighting operation, officials said.
No casualties were reported in the incident, which occurred at around 3.30 am, they said.
"I reached here a little after 4 am and have been here since then. Three water bowsers will remain deployed for 24 hours because of the sensitivity of the location," fire tender driver Sunil Yadav told PTI.
The gutted structure presented a grim picture. Twisted metal sheets, blackened walls and mounds of ash marked the spot where stacks of firecrackers had exploded after the blaze erupted.
Near the burnt structure stood its owner, Satish Soni, staring silently at what remained of his business.
Asked about the cause of the fire, Soni, visibly shaken, said, "I don't know," before walking away.
His workers, too, stood nearby, their worn faces reflecting anxiety about what the future holds for them.
Just across the road, normal traffic had begun returning, but curious residents continued to gather behind police barricades to catch a glimpse of the destruction.
Residents in the area were jolted awake by loud blasts that followed the blaze at the firecracker outlets.
"I woke up to loud explosions and saw huge plumes of smoke from my window," said Mangal Adhikari, who lives about 500 metres away.
"I rushed to the spot. Fire tenders were spraying water from a distance because crackers were exploding continuously and flying in all directions," he said.
A short distance away stands Halalpura's cracker market with nine shops, whose owners and workers in the area watched the scene anxiously.
"I came to know about the fire only around noon when I reached the market," sanitation worker Virendra Singh said.
A small kuccha house adjoining the gutted premises remained locked. Locals said the family living there had temporarily moved away after the incident.
Asked whether the cracker shop-cum-godown had been operating lawfully so close to two petrol pumps, Additional Commissioner of Police (Zone-III) Shalini Dikshit said an inquiry was underway.
"Action will be taken based on the facts that emerge during the investigation," she said.
The blaze triggered repeated explosions, sending flames shooting nearly 80 feet into the air, according to eyewitnesses.
Around 10 fire tenders battled the fire for nearly three hours before bringing it under control.
Officials said a major tragedy was averted as the fire broke out during the early hours of the day when traffic movement in the area was thin.
Power supply in the area, disconnected as a precaution during the firefighting operation, was restored by 12.15 pm, according to Banswaraj Prajapati of the Madhya Pradesh Madhya Kshetra Vidyut Vitaran Company.