AGARTALA, July 29 (TIWN): A massive fire gutted eight shops and two domestic households at Champaknaghar market in the outskirts of Agartala city on Tuesday afternoon, official sources said. The fire broke out at 1:15 PM today; no casualty or injury was reported from the incident, a police official on duty at the Jirania police station said later today.

The official said that the fire destroyed all valuables in the ten installations including the domestic households. He couldn’t give any statistics about losses incurred due to the fire.

Local sources said that the fire tenders reached the spot at least 45 minutes late after the fire broke out. The situation was brought under control soon but the affected buildings were way beyond saving, the source said.

The police, however, denied the reports and said that fire tenders were deployed immediately after the information reached concerned authorities. While the police was set on high alert ahead of the Holy Eid, the incident raised questions on the regular police patrols.

A chemists and druggists’ store was gutted by fire earlier late night on Monday. The drug store at Durga Chowmuhani area in Agartala city is suspected to have developed the fire from a short circuit, the police said.