Rohtak blaze engulfs 10 shops; 3 feared trapped

Rohtak: A massive fire that broke out in a shoe showroom near D-Park in Rohtak on Tuesday afternoon spread to nine adjoining shops, engulfing 10 commercial establishments and triggering a major rescue operation amid fears that three persons may be trapped inside.The blaze erupted around 1.30 pm at the Rohtak Shoes. Shopkeepers said the fire may have been triggered by an air-conditioner compressor explosion, though the exact cause is yet to be ascertained. Several customers and employees managed to escape as flames rapidly spread through neighbouring shops, but three people were reported missing till late evening.Around 20 fire tenders from Rohtak, Bahadurgarh, Jind, Bhiwani, Jhajjar and Gohana were pressed into service to contain the blaze. An NDRF team was also deployed at the site as rescue operations continued.Deputy commissioner Sachin Gupta, superintendent of police Gaurav Rajpurohit and Rohtak range IG Simardeep Singh monitored the operation. The area around the market was evacuated as a precaution.Congress MP Deepender Hooda also visited the site. During his visit, a shopkeeper whose son was among those reported missing appealed to authorities to intensify rescue efforts."The fire is now under control. The exact cause is yet to be ascertained. Our priority was to bring the situation under control. Fire tenders had to be called from neighbouring districts due to the severity of the incident," IG Simardeep Singh said.Trader Gulshan Dang alleged there was a delay in the arrival of firefighting teams, claiming the first fire tender reached about 20 minutes after the incident and the second nearly an hour later. He said the delay allowed the fire to spread and cause extensive damage.No casualties had been officially confirmed by the time this report was filed.