Pune: Fire breaks out at Mahatma Phule Mandai, no casualties

A fire tender was immediately dispatched from the Kasba fire station, which is only a few hundred metres away.

“Old wooden structure on the eastern side of Mandai had caught the fire. As the fire was big and was spreading fast due to the wooden structure, more fire tenders, water tankers and a Devdoot vehicle were pressed into service,” said Fire Officer Pradeep Bedekar.

“We brought the situation under control within 20 minutes. Then the cooling operation was carried out. No casualties were reported. But some compartments in the Mandai were damaged due to the fire. Prima facie, we suspect the fire was caused due to an electrical short circuit,” Bedekar added.

The fire officials said there was no crowd at the spot as the incident happened in the midnight hours. The area is heavily crowded in the daytime.

Mandai was constructed during British Era in 1882. The British had named it Lord Reay Market after the then Governor of Bombay inaugurated it.

The market is still operational as a retail hub with over 500 stalls of vegetables and fruits.

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