UDAIPUR / AGARTALA, Dec 8 (TIWN): The residents of Udaipur Matabari area narrowly escaped death when massive fire broke out from cylinder blast on Tuesday early morning at Udaipur Cannel Chowmuhani under Matabari area.

Panic gripped the area, when such a massive fire broke out and gutted 9 shops including medicine shop, restaurant and many other grocery shops.

Reportedly, the incident took place in the early hours of Tuesday morning when a localite of the area witnessed smoke spreading wide along with the flames and immediately realized that fire broke out in the shops from cylinder blast and short circuit.

The eye witness also said that the fire broke out due to the short circuit. Getting alarm about the fire incident huge police force of RK Pur police station has reached the spot immediately.

The area is one of the oldest and most-congested in the Matabari area. Located near a residential area and hence there were fears that the fire could expand much higher.

Police also claimed that the fire sparked off in the shop form electric short circuit and further spread with the cylinder blast in the restaurant located nearby and there is no report of any suspicious incident behind the massive fire break out.

Tension gripped the area and many local shopkeepers shut down their establishments in panic. People ran to safer place fearing a massive fire in case the flames touched many shops. Following the incident huge crowd gathered in the area. Though the police and fire tenders reached the spot, the panic gradually spread in the entire area generating serious terror among the locals in the area.

However, it is to be mention here that that fire service reached the spot lately even after several plea and the localites had to report to the fire service station to call them to the spot.

After hours of the incident 3 fire service crew reached the spot and after battling for more than two hours the fire was brought under control and the situation was settled down with the joint initiative of police and fire service crew. 

Fortunately the fire fighters reached the spot and contained the fire that prevented the flames to spread to the other parts of the area.

However, the fire altogether gutted 9 shops along with huge amount of goods including clothes and other materials spreading horror among the people of the area.

RK Pur police official confirmed that there is no report of casualty and an estimated loss Rs50 lakh is reported so far.

Police is further investigating the case.