Shastri Park Furniture Market Gutted In Fire, Delhi Fire Service Deploys 25 Tenders

The fire occurred at the furniture market in the Shastri Park area of North East Delhi, India, late on Friday night, causing extensive damage to commercial shops and triggering panic among shop owners, workers, and nearby residents. The incident quickly escalated due to the presence of large quantities of wooden furniture and other highly flammable materials stored in the market, which allowed the flames to spread rapidly across multiple units before firefighters could fully contain it.

According to officials from the Delhi Fire Service, the control room received the first emergency call at around 11:57 p.m. on Friday. Fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the location, and by approximately 1:20 a.m., nearly 25 fire engines had reached the site to begin large-scale firefighting operations. Despite the strong response, the intensity of the blaze and narrow lanes in the market area made access difficult, slowing down early containment efforts.

As the fire spread through adjoining shops, thick smoke engulfed the entire market area, forcing nearby residents and traders to evacuate in panic. Several shop units were completely gutted, with furniture stocks, raw materials, and stored goods reduced to ashes within a short span of time. Officials fear that the financial losses could run into several crores of rupees, although a formal damage assessment is yet to be completed.

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The situation at the site also turned tense as frustration grew among some locals over the emergency response. Reports indicated that a section of residents allegedly pelted stones at fire brigade vehicles, accusing authorities of delayed arrival and inadequate equipment. Firefighters on the ground stated that such disruptions made it more difficult to control the blaze, and they urged for police support to manage the crowd and secure the area.

Eyewitnesses and residents, however, offered differing accounts of the response time, with some claiming that fire services arrived late after the blaze had already intensified. Allegations were also made regarding the condition of some fire tenders, though these claims remain unverified. Authorities have not yet issued a detailed clarification on the response timeline or operational challenges faced during the incident.

Meanwhile, teams from the Delhi Police and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) have launched an investigation to determine the exact cause of the fire. Officials confirmed that no casualties have been reported so far, even as cooling operations and final extinguishing efforts continued for several hours after the main blaze was brought under partial control. The cause of the fire—whether accidental or deliberate—remains under investigation.

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