Huge stocks of chillies were gutted in a major fire that destroyed over 500 shops at a market yard in Guntur on Saturday and the loss is estimated to be approximately Rs 20 crore.
The fire was noticed at 9 am in one of the shops at Asia's biggest chilli market yard and soon spread to the neighbouring areas, police and fire officials said.
About 500 shops inside the complex, spread over 60 acres, were reduced to ashes in the blaze.
As per the preliminary estimation made by the district collector, the loss could be around Rs 20 crore, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minster Y S Rajasekhar Reddy, who is on an official visit to Delhi, told reporters. He said a thorough inquiry would be conducted into the incident.
However, there were no casualties in the mishap as people managed to run to safety soon after the fire broke out, police said.
It is estimated that 1.50 lakh chilli bags were kept in the yard when the mishap occurred.
In the face of strong heat wave in the area, with the mercury level hovering around 42 degrees, the authorities had a tough time controlling the fire, which spread to the nearby cold storage units and huts located in the vicinity.
Over 15 fire tenders from Guntur and neighbouring districts of Krishna and Prakasam have been pressed into service to douse the flames.
The state director general of fire services Aruna Bahuguna said a team of senior officials has been rushed to Guntur to oversee fire-fighting operations.
"We hope to bring the fire under control by this evening," Bahuguna said.
Pungent smell of burning chillies pervaded in the area and large plumes of smoke could be seen from a distance of about two kms as panic spread among residents, who ran for cover.
The residents of the area complained of burning sensation in the eyes and chest and breathing problems. Over 200 people were evacuated from the vicinity of the blazing market yard.
Meanwhile, Reddy reviewed the situation over phone with the Chief Secretary and fire services officials and directed them to take all necessary measures to contain the fire and help the farmers.
State ministers K Lakshminarayana and N Rajyalakshmi and Guntur District Collector B Venkatesam have rushed to the spot to oversee the fire-fighting operations.
A branch of Andhra Bank was also gutted in the fire and the extent of loss was not immediately known.