Major Fire Engulfs Udupi Commercial Building, Resulting in Extensive Damage
Udupi: A devastating fire erupted in a commercial building near the city bus stand in Udupi on Sunday evening, causing substantial damage to numerous businesses and resulting in estimated losses of crores of rupees.
The fire is believed to have originated in a mobile phone retail establishment and rapidly spread to adjacent shops within the building, consuming all merchandise and inventory. Mobile phone stores, hardware outlets, and plastic goods vendors sustained damage from the blaze.
The Udupi Fire Department dispatched three fire engines to the scene, where firefighters encountered considerable difficulty in suppressing the flames. Initial efforts proved insufficient to contain the fire’s spread, necessitating the procurement of supplementary water resources via tanker trucks. Firefighting personnel persevered for approximately two hours before gaining some control; however, reports indicate the fire was not completely extinguished at that time.
Local residents, including social worker Krishnamurthy Acharya, assisted the firefighting efforts. Shop owners voiced considerable dissatisfaction with the fire department’s response, alleging a 45-minute delay between the initial report and the arrival of firefighting units. An official investigation into the cause of the fire is underway. The extent of the economic impact on the affected businesses is still being assessed.