At least 20 shops and commercial establishments were gutted and property worth over Rs one crore destroyed in a fire in Ratanpurbazar area of Hailakandi in Assam, officials said on Friday.

The fire broke out around midnight on Thursday and engulfed a large part of the market, they said.

Locals informed the fire brigade and the blaze was brought under control after a few hours with the help of local residents.

“At least 20 shops and other commercial establishments were gutted in the massive fire in the market on Ratan Road. Property worth over Rs one crore was destroyed,” the officials said.

The cause for the fire is yet to be known, but an electrical short circuit in one of the shops is suspected to have led to the inferno, they said. Businessmen whose shops and establishments were gutted have blamed the local authorities for the poor state of electrical connections in the place and demanded compensation. the officials added. 

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