Odisha Tragedy: Early on Tuesday, 20 January 2026, a devastating fire ravaged the Unit-1 Market (Haat) in Bhubaneswar, reducing over 40 shops and vending kiosks to ashes.
The blaze was reported at approximately 1:30 AM, with 13 fire tenders and 80 personnel battling for nearly three hours to douse the flames.
While the exact cause is under investigation, officials noted that the fire likely originated at an idol shop near the Capital Police Station and spread rapidly due to the presence of 5-litre LPG cylinders and highly inflammable plastic materials.
Fortunately, two people sleeping in a shop managed to escape unhurt, and no casualties were reported.
Odisha Fire
The Unit-1 Market, known as the city’s largest retail hub, has faced recurring safety challenges, with this incident marking the second major blaze in just four months. The market’s congested layout and the widespread use of makeshift tents made of synthetic tarpaulin have long been a concern for administrators.
Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Chanchal Rana and Mayor Sulochana Das visited the site, highlighting that traders had consistently ignored warnings to replace plastic covers with tin sheds.
The civic body has now ordered the market to remain closed for cleaning, debris removal, and a mandatory inspection of fire safety arrangements.
Official Response
The firefighting operation was particularly challenging due to the lack of space between shops, which hindered the movement of men and material. “At 1:40 AM, we got a call on the 112 control room… plastic, polythene, and LPG cylinders caused the fire to spread rapidly,” said Additional Fire Officer Manoranjan Rout.
Despite emotional appeals from traders who lost property worth crores, Mayor Sulochana Das has ruled out direct BMC compensation, citing the shopkeepers’ failure to register for group insurance and their continued violation of safety norms.
However, the BMC has confirmed that emergency response teams and tehsil officials are conducting a formal damage assessment to facilitate potential state-level relief.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
At The Logical Indian, we believe that while the loss of livelihood for dozens of traders is heart-wrenching, this tragedy must be a definitive turning point for urban safety. Markets should be hubs of vibrant community life, not hazards waiting for a spark.
We advocate for a culture of compliance where safety regulations are seen as a collective shield rather than a bureaucratic burden. It is time for a transparent dialogue between the administration and traders to modernise infrastructure and ensure that greed for space never compromises human safety again.
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