Kanpur: A huge fire erupted in Kanpur’s Beconganj on Saturday morning, sparked by a short-circuit in three ground-floor shops selling biryani and sweets in a two-storey building. The flames rapidly spread to the first floor, trapping the owner and four tenants, while two employees sleeping in the biryani shop were caught in the smoke.Neighbour Ayaz Ahmad sounded the alarm, alerting the police and fire brigade. Three fire engines arrived, and personnel swiftly evacuated the building owner and tenants, rescuing employees trapped in the shop. The two-storey building belonged to Mohd Shamim, a resident of Talaq Mahal Lal Kuan. The ground floor housed the sweet shops of Afzal and Dilshad, and Aqeel’s biryani shop. The first floor was occupied by Mo. Shamim and four tenants. The fire broke out early \morning at Dilshad’s sweet shop in Shamim’s building, sparked by a short-circuit. The blaze quickly spread to Afzal and Aqeel’s shops, engulfing the first floor and trapping Shamim and tenants. Two employees sleeping in the biryani shop were caught in the smoke.The fire in the densely populated area created panic. Firefighters rescued Shamim and tenants from the first-floor balcony, followed by two employees trapped in the shop. The employees warned about three gas cylinders in the shop, which firefighters swiftly removed, controlling the blaze within 1.5 hours.FSO Kailash Chandra stated that there was no loss of life, and preliminary information suggested the fire was caused by a short-circuit. The damage assessment was being conducted.
