Deputy Chief Fire Officer DB Mukherjee said the Delhi Fire Service received information about the fire at 11:57 pm, following which teams were immediately sent to the area.

Nearly 300 shops were on Friday night destroyed in a massive fire at Shastri Park furniture market in the national capital. However, there were no casualties reported so far in the incident. In the meantime, the fire tenders responding to the fire were allegedly pelted with stones by angry locals with public anger reportedly triggered by the limited initial firefighting response.

Wooden furniture caused the fire to spread
However, the fire has now been put out. Earlier, fire officials said that the presence of highly flammable materials like plywood and wooden furniture caused the fire to spread. Later, a number of fire tenders were dispatched to the scene in order to control the situation.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer DB Mukherjee said the Delhi Fire Service received information about the fire at 11:57 pm, following which teams were immediately sent to the area.

Mukherjee told reporters, "The Fire Control Room received the report of the fire at 11:57. Initially, a standard response was dispatched; however, given that this is a market containing a significant amount of highly flammable materials, the incident was subsequently declared a "Major" fire, and was officially categorized as a "Medium" category fire.”

Blaze spread across a very large area
He said that the blaze spread across a very large area, and the market itself is quite expansive and the primary trade conducted involves wooden furniture, plywood, and similar materials.

“In total, approximately 25 to 30 fire tenders have arrived at the scene so far. As of now, the fire is under control--we have received confirmation to this effect,” he said.

On the cause of the fire, Mukherjee said Delhi Police would investigate the matter."Regarding the cause of the fire, we have not yet received any specific information; the Delhi Police will be the ones to determine the exact cause, as the investigation falls under their jurisdiction," Mukherjee told reporters.

Some people at the spot became angry after seeing only a small number of fire tenders, reportedly two, during the initial response and allegedly pelted stones at the vehicles.

Shastri Park is known for its dense commercial activity, particularly furniture-related businesses, which made firefighting operations more difficult as the blaze intensified. Authorities said no casualties have been reported so far. The exact cause of the fire remains under investigation.  Meanwhile, a team from the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) also reached the spot to inspect the area and assess the damage.