Fire in Meerut Mall, no causalties reported

Meerut, Aug 7: A fire in a shopping mall in the Shastri Nagar area here this evening damaged property worth crores with no casualties reported so far.

District Magistrate Mukesh Mishra claimed that all people, who were present in the mall, have been safely evacuated. Police also resorted to lathicharge to disperse the crowd.

Witnesses and mall staff, however, said many people are still trapped inside.

According to the police, theatre 1 caught fire which later spread to Vishal Mega Mart. The weekly market was closed today and hence the mall and the three cinema halls were packed.

The chaos resulted in a stampede, injuring many people. Fire brigades rushed to the spot but the fire could not be controlled immediately due to the presence of some inflammatory chemicals.

Fire control services were also dispatched from the nearby areas of Ghaziabad, Hapur and Muzaffarnagar. The army was also put on alert.

''The extent of the damage can be estimated only after the fire is brought under control,'' Mr Mishra said.

Police Commissioner Naresh Bahadur Singh, along with other top administrative and police officials, is camping at the site.

The fire is supposed to have been caused due to short circuit in the inverter which was being used during a power cut in the area.

The mob outside the mall became unruly and said many people were still trapped inside. Keeping in view the huge death toll in the April 10 fire incident at Victoria park here, ambulances have been stationed outside the mall. Senior Police Official Navneet Sikera said fire has been controlled and claimed that the building has been searched thrice but no one was found trapped inside. He, however, said things would be clear only after the smoke was dissipated. Military fire brigades were also called.

Meanwhile, Division Commissioner Devdut Sharma has ordered a high level inquiry into the incident.

UNI