Fire Guts Four Shops At Surat’s Salasar Textile Market

A major fire broke out at Salasar Textile Market in Saroli, Surat, on Wednesday, damaging at least four shops and destroying large quantities of textile stock. No casualties were reported.

The fire erupted on the fifth floor of the market, where firefighters faced difficult conditions because of the building’s unusual design. The complex has double-height shops, making the fifth floor roughly equivalent to the height of the 10th floor of a conventional commercial building.

The large shop spaces were being used to store substantial quantities of textile inventory, adding to the intensity of the fire. Firefighters also found textile parcels stacked in the common lobbies. Officials said the material could have contributed to the rapid spread of flames and restricted access to the affected area.

The scale of the operation prompted the fire and emergency services to mobilise teams from 15 fire stations. Around 100 firefighters and 20 fire vehicles were deployed to tackle the blaze. After nearly three hours of firefighting, the situation was brought under control and the market was subsequently sealed.

During the operation, fire officials reportedly found that the building’s water tank was empty and that its firefighting pump was not functioning. The findings have raised concerns over the preparedness of the market’s fire-safety infrastructure.

Officials said the market’s fire-prevention infrastructure had received a renewed No-Objection Certificate (NOC) in February through a fire-safety officer agency. Following the latest incident, the building management has been directed to carry out the necessary corrective measures and comply with prescribed safety requirements. The seal will be removed only after the required conditions are met, officials said.

The incident comes a week after another fire at Shyam Sangini Textile Market in Saroli on September 9. The investigation into that incident is continuing. Authorities are also examining CCTV footage after a person was reportedly seen making suspicious movements inside the building shortly before the fire. The individual has not yet been identified.

In a separate incident on Wednesday, a fire broke out at a scrap warehouse operating from a tin shed in Bhestan’s Bhindi Bazaar area. The fire services received an emergency call at around 3.27 pm and sent firefighting teams to prevent the flames from spreading to neighbouring establishments.

Waste material stored inside the warehouse was destroyed in the incident, but there were no reports of casualties. Firefighters subsequently brought the blaze under control.