Adinath Textile Market Fire, Surat: One Third-Floor Shop Burns, No Injuries Reported

What happened

On the morning of Monday, 19 October 2026, a fire broke out in a cloth shop on the third floor of the Adinath Textile Market in Salabatpura, Surat. The market is also spelt Aadinath, and its signboard in a Gujarat First video spells it that way. Sandesh put the start at about 10.30 am. Zee 24 Kalak, TV9 Gujarati and News Gujarat describe the market as being on Ring Road.

Sandesh reported that the shop held a large stock of cloth, so the fire grew quickly and smoke spread through the market. Connect Gujarat reported that only one shop caught fire and that firefighters stopped it from spreading to the other shops. Traders and workers rushed out in panic, and according to the same report everyone was evacuated safely in time.

This page was checked on 19 October 2026, the day of the fire, so everything below is as of that day.

The people

The three written reports we read (Sandesh, Gujarat First and Connect Gujarat) mention no injured people, and Connect Gujarat says plainly that no deaths were reported. That is not an official medical statement, and no official casualty figure had been published when we checked. We name no one, because no names were released.

Response and investigation

The Surat fire brigade sent engines from several stations. The numbers differ between outlets, and they were reported at different moments. Early video bulletins from Zee 24 Kalak, TV9 Gujarati and News Gujarat said 10 or more fire engines. Connect Gujarat said 14 to 15 engines from about 10 fire stations, with the Chief Fire Officer and a Deputy Fire Officer at the scene. Gujarat First said about 16 fire vehicles. Sandesh said 15 to 20 firefighters and vehicles.

Sandesh reported that firefighters kept water on the fire for about two hours before it was brought under control, and that cooling work followed. Gujarat First, writing at 12.46 pm, said crews were still working at that time. We have not found an official statement from the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) Fire Department with its own control time or engine count.

On the cause, Sandesh said preliminary checks point to a possible short circuit. Gujarat First said the cause would be looked into after the fire was under control. Treat the short circuit as a guess for now, not a finding. As of 19 October 2026 we found no report of an FIR, a probe, a sealing notice or any SMC action, and nothing on the building’s fire safety certificate (earlier called the fire NOC).

Why this matters: a fourth market fire in six weeks

This is not the first Surat textile-market fire this autumn. Here is what we could confirm from the reports we read. The causes differ, so this is a pattern of repeated fires, not one shared cause.

• 9 September 2026, Shyam Sangini Textile Market, Saroli. A sixth-floor fire damaged at least 16 shops and a firefighter was hurt. Police later arrested a former accountant and allege arson. We cover it in our Shyam Sangini market fire case study.
• 16 September 2026, Salasar Market, Saroli. ETV Bharat reported a fifth-floor fire in four cloth shops with more than 15 fire tenders; a short circuit was the preliminary suspicion. GSTV also reported the fire. No casualties were reported.
• 24 September 2026, Regent Textile Market, Kamela Darwaja, Salabatpura. A third-floor fire. ETV Bharat reported more than 15 fire tenders and over 50 firefighters and described a godown of synthetic fabric; GSTV reported more than 10 fire vehicles. The cause was not known in either report.
• 19 October 2026, Adinath Textile Market, Salabatpura. The fire described on this page.

The common factor in the reports is the stock itself. Polyester and synthetic cloth burns fast and gives off heavy smoke, and upper floors take firefighters time to reach. The national picture is mixed. NCRB recorded 277 fires in commercial buildings in 2024, against 3,585 in homes and dwellings, so market fires are a small share of all fires. They matter because so many shops and workers share one building. This fire came in the run-up to Diwali, when traders hold extra stock; see also our guide on festival-season fire safety and electrical load.

Lessons for traders and market associations

• Check your shop wiring before the festival rush. Overloaded sockets, joints wrapped in tape, extension boards under cloth bales and old MCBs are classic causes. See why small electrical faults cause big fires in shops. Switch off the mains at the end of the day, and ask a licensed electrician to test the earthing.
• Keep stock away from panels and passages. The National Building Code 2016, Part 4 (Fire and Life Safety), says every exit, exit passage and exit discharge must be kept free of obstruction. A bale in a staircase is a blocked exit, so keep stock inside your shop and off the corridor.
• Keep a working extinguisher in the shop and learn to use it. An ABC powder type suits cloth, wood and electrical fires. Check the pressure gauge and the refill date. Our guide to fire extinguisher types in India explains which one to choose. Use it only on a small fire, with your back to the exit.
• Know two ways out and rehearse them. Walk your staff to both staircases. Do not use the lift in a fire. The building code includes guidelines for fire drills and evacuation, and the Gujarat fire safety portal says owners and occupiers must arrange inspections and mock drills every six months through a Fire Safety Officer.
• Ask for the fire safety certificate. Gujarat’s Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2013 provides for a fire safety certificate (earlier called the fire NOC), which has to be renewed on time. A certificate on the wall is a starting point, not proof that the systems work. Read how fire NOCs work and where the loopholes are, and ask the association for the latest inspection date.
• Raise the alarm early. Call 101 or 112, and give the market name, floor and nearest landmark. Leave the stock behind. Do not go back for cloth or cash.

What is still not known

As of 19 October 2026 we do not have the full street address, the number of shops damaged beyond the one shop where the fire started, the value of the loss, the cause, or the fire safety certificate status of the building. We also have no SMC Fire Department statement, and no report of an FIR or probe. Reports differ on the engine count and the time the fire was controlled. We will update this page when official information is published.

More on Surat: see our Surat fire and emergency safety guide for fire brigade numbers, every fire station and the local risks to know.