25 cloth shops gutted in Jalandhar fire

Chandigarh, Oct 20 (IANS) Goods worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed in a Diwali night fire that gutted nearly 25 shops in a cloth market in Jalandhar city, police said on Friday.

No loss of life was reported in the fire.

The fire in the Sudama cloth market near Jyoti Chowk in Jalandhar, about 160 km from here, started on Thursday night and spread quickly.

Fire brigade vehicles and personnel rushed to the spot but the market was engulfed by the flames.

Traders said that their losses ran in lakhs of rupees.

Though the cause of the fire was to be ascertained, market association president Balwant Singh said that foul play could not be ruled out.

Fire officer Rajinder Sharma said the fire was brought under control after four hours.

In another incident of fire, in Amritsar goods worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed after fire engulfed a warehouse on Thursday night.