RAWALPINDI, Dec 10: More than 300 stalls were completely gutted after fire broke out at a Sasta bazaar in Chungi No-22 in the early hours of Tuesday.

No one was, however, injured.

According to eye-witnesses, fire broke out at about 1:30am in a stall situated in Lane 3 adjacent to the Combined Military Hospital (CMH). The fire soon spread to other stalls, destroying grocery items, clothes, toys and plastic households.

Thick clouds of smoke and flames could be seen from miles. On seeing the flames, hundreds of people from the surrounding areas rushed to the scene and started making efforts to extinguish the fire.

In the meantime, fire engines from the cantonment and city fire stations arrived at the scene and started dousing the flames. The fire was, however, controlled before it could spread to the CMH. A security guard, Abdul Majeed, said despite repeated attempts, he failed to get a response from the fire department.

He said by the time fire engines reached the spot, the stalls had already been destroyed.

Mohammad Akram, the president of the local market association, ruled out the possibility of short circuiting and said there was no electricity supply to the market. “The shopkeepers had been using electric generator which was off,” Mr Akram said.

The total loss, according to the stall-holders, is estimated to be about Rs30 million.

Some stall-holders accused the RCB of setting the fire in order to get rid of the stalls and push-carts from the area. The civic body wants to build a petrol pump on the site, they alleged.

The RCB, however, denies the charge. According to the board officials, the fire started due to the negligence of the stall- holders.

The cantonment magistrate, Khalid Mehmood, who visited the site, said some of the stall-holders might have lit fire to keep themselves warm but forgot to extinguish it.

He said demarcation of stalls would be made on Wednesday morning under the old plan and the stall-holders would be allowed to build their stalls.

Meanwhile, the director-general Military Lands and Cantonments, Mohammad Javed and RCB station commander Brig Hamid Khalil visited the area and told the stall-holders that the site would be cleared, levelled and re-allotted to them.

They said whatever compensation was possible would be provided to the affected persons.

MNA Zamarud Khan and MPA Chaudhry Ayaz also visited the site and assured them of all possible assistance. The MPA also set up a stall near the site to collect donations for the stall-holders.

“This was all I had. Only last night, I bought fruit with borrowed money and kept it in the stall to sell it in the day. This stall was my only source of income. I have to feed my children, brothers and sisters,” said Pervez, a stall-holder.

Abdul Majeed, another stall-holder, said: “I don’t know what has happened and what will I do now. I had about fruit and vegetables worth Rs5,000 in my stall which have been destroyed. Now I don’t even have sufficient money to arrange another stall,” he added.

The stall-holders appealed to the authorities and philanthropists to help them establish their small businesses.