Guwahati, 07 November (HS): A massive fire, suspected to have been triggered by an LPG cylinder explosion at a food outlet, gutted around six to seven shops in Guwahati's Bhangagarh area on Saturday morning.

The fire reportedly broke out between 8:30 am and 9:30 am near the Bhangagarh flyover, originating from the vicinity of New City Dhaba and Bhargav's Biryani. The blaze rapidly spread to adjoining commercial establishments, causing extensive damage.

At least six to seven shops, including two restaurants, a general store, a mobile phone shop with a repair facility and a dry-cleaning outlet, were completely gutted in the incident.

On receiving information, around six to eight fire tenders rushed to the spot and launched firefighting operations. The firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control within an hour, preventing it from spreading further through the densely populated commercial area.

Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported in the incident.

The exact cause of the fire and the extent of the financial losses are yet to be officially ascertained.------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash