Delhi's Karol Bagh Gaffar Market catches fire on Dhanteras, blaze at mobile accessories shop spreads through four floors; 22 fire tenders deployed

Delhi's Gaffar Market witnessed a major fire on Dhanteras after a mobile accessories shop caught fire in the early hours of Friday, November 6. The blaze spread through a four-storey commercial building, prompting the deployment of around 22 fire tenders. No casualties or injuries were reported, although the fire caused extensive damage to property, according to PTI.

Police suspect that overheating or overcharging of mobile batteries may have triggered the fire. The incident at Puri Plaza came days after another major incident in Old Delhi, where an under-construction building collapsed in Chawri Bazar, killing two labourers and injuring at least four people. Three contractors have since been arrested in connection with that collapse.

Fire breaks out at Gaffar Market mobile accessories shop

The fire at Puri Plaza was reported at 1.28 am on Friday, November 6. A PCR call was received at Karol Bagh police station, following which police personnel reached the commercial building.


An officer said the police team found the fire at shop number 13/21, which dealt in mobile accessories. The blaze is suspected to have originated in a ground-floor shop where mobile batteries were stored before spreading to the upper floors of the four-storey building.

Around 20 to 25 fire tenders were rushed to the location, along with three Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS) ambulances and two police control room vehicles. Additional fire service vehicles were deployed as the fire intensified.

The firefighting operation continued for several hours before the blaze was brought under control and eventually extinguished. No deaths or injuries were reported in the Gaffar Market incident.

Mobile battery overheating suspected as possible cause

Police said overheating or overcharging of batteries was a possible cause of the fire. However, the exact reason has not yet been established.

Investigators will obtain reports from the Delhi Fire Service and the Electrical Inspector to determine how the fire started. An FSL team will also examine the building to assess whether other combustible materials were stored inside and whether they contributed to the spread of the flames.

Police will additionally seek a structural safety assessment or certificate from the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to rule out any risk to human life.

Further action will be taken based on the findings of these reports. Police personnel have been deployed at the location, and the situation is under control.

Days after Chawri Bazar building collapse, three contractors arrested

The Gaffar Market fire comes days after a three-storey under-construction building collapsed in Delhi's Chawri Bazar area on Thursday, November 5, killing two labourers and injuring at least four people.

The collapse took place around 9.48 am and triggered a joint rescue operation involving the Delhi Police, National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Delhi Fire Services and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi.

Two labourers, identified as Kishori, 40, and Sanjeet, 45, died after being pulled out of the debris.

Two other workers, Sahdev Chaudhary, 25, and Firoz, 37, were rescued and taken to hospital. Both were stable and out of danger, according to police. The incident left at least four people injured, according to the initial report.

Three contractors held in Faridabad

On November 6, police arrested three contractors in connection with the building collapse. The accused were identified as Siraj, Tajuddin and Furkan.

They were apprehended from village Sirohi in Faridabad. All three are residents of the Ajmeri Gate area in Old Delhi, police said.

A case was registered against them under Section 105 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.

The arrests relate to the Chawri Bazar building collapse and are separate from the investigation into the Gaffar Market fire. Police are investigating the circumstances of both incidents, while the cause of the fire and the findings of the structural safety assessment remain awaited.

(With PTI inputs)