Overview
- A large fire tore through the Rambagh (Bansan Wala) bamboo market on Thursday, May 28, destroying about 20–25 temporary kiosks and sending thick smoke across the area.
- Police and fire officials recovered one body at the scene and identified the victim as 75-year-old Khareti Lal, a physically disabled shopkeeper who was unable to escape the flames.
- Authorities say the blaze appears to have started in wiring or an electric transformer and a formal investigation and loss assessment are under way to confirm the cause.
- Firefighters deployed around ten tenders and battled the flames for hours, while local residents accused the administration of delayed response and an MLA promised to seek state compensation for affected vendors.
- The market’s tight rows of bamboo, wood ladders and other highly flammable stock helped the fire spread rapidly, highlighting fire-safety risks in dense temporary-stall markets near Amritsar’s ISBT.