A massive fire erupted at a utensil store in Jamuna Enclave, Zirakpur, around 1.45 pm on Sunday.
The blaze, which broke out on the second floor of the building, was controlled by fire fighters in over two hours using three fire tenders.
According to officials, stock worth lakhs were gutted. Boxes of crackers kept inside the shop also caught fire.
Notably, there were multiple gas cylinders stored inside the shop which could have led to a major explosion.
The fire led to panic among the onlookers. Nearby shopkeepers broke the mirrors of the shop before the fire team reached the spot.
The firemen broke the wall of the adjacent shop to enter the store and douse the flames.
The authorities will now investigate if the owner of the shop, Ravinder Bansal, possessed a licence and an NOC from the fire department to store cylinders inside the building.
“We received information about the fire around 2 pm. It was very difficult to enter the building even after controlling it due to excessive heat. We are yet to ascertain the exact reason behind the accident,” said Mahesh Kumar, inspector, fire department, Zirakpur.
