Khemnichak Market Fire, Patna: 50+ Shops Burnt, No Injuries

What happened

A fire broke out in the Khemnichak vegetable market (sabzi mandi) in the Ramkrishna Nagar police station area of Patna, Bihar, early on Thursday, 29 October 2026. Dainik Jagran says it began after 3 am and spread fast, and that more than 50 shops were burnt, among them shops selling cosmetics and doing mobile repair. Dainik Bhaskar says 12 fire tenders from 10 places, including Lodipur, Kankarbagh, the Secretariat and Patna City, took about an hour to bring it under control. Zee News carries the same 12-tender figure and says the market is in a densely built area with shops and houses all around. Checked on the morning of 29 October 2026.

Jagran adds that four gas cylinders kept in a hut-type hotel inside the market are reported to have burst, and that several bikes parked in the market were also burnt. Neither Bhaskar nor Zee mentions the cylinders, so we say “reported”. No report we opened mentions any injury or death.

Where the reports differ

• Shops burnt: Jagran says more than 50. Bhaskar and Zee say “many shops” and give no number. We use “50 or more, as reported by Jagran” until a count is made.
• Fire tenders: Jagran says 10 to 15; Bhaskar and Zee say 12.
• Cylinders: only Jagran reports four cylinders bursting. It is described as a report, not a confirmed fact.

What is not known

The cause is not known. A fire officer told Bhaskar the cause is being looked into and the damage is being assessed. No loss figure has been given. We do not know how many of the shops were open stalls and how many were closed shops, whether the market had any fire safety arrangement, or whether the cylinders were kept there with permission. Nothing here is a finding against any shopkeeper or department.

Why markets burn so badly

Nothing in the reports says what failed here, so these are general points, not conclusions about this fire. Markets like this have shops built close together, with roofs of wood, plastic sheet or tin, loose goods and cartons piled in front, and electrical wiring hung from pole to pole and shop to shop. Lanes are narrow, so a fire tender may have to stop at the entrance and run its hose in.

Live or work in Patna? Our Patna safety guide lists the emergency numbers, the fire stations of the district and the main city risks, including market and shop fires and Ganga floods.

A hut-type food stall with cylinders inside adds a second danger: a cylinder that gets hot can burst and throw burning material across the lane.

What shopkeepers and market committees can do

• Keep cylinders out of the shop and stall rows. If a food stall must use gas, keep the cylinder upright in the open, away from other shops, and keep a spare cloth and a bucket of sand beside it. Our guide on what to do in an LPG gas leak explains the first steps.
• Check the wiring. Loose joints, overloaded extension boards and hanging wires are a common start. Read whether a short circuit can cause a fire, and switch off the main supply when you close for the night.
• Keep a lane clear. A lane wide enough for a fire tender and a clear path to the nearest road is the difference between a fire in one shop and a fire in fifty.
• Keep an extinguisher and know how to use it. The fire extinguisher chooser helps you pick the right type, and the PASS method is easy to remember. A market committee can buy a few extinguishers together.
• Call early. Dial 101 or 112 as soon as you see flames. Our guide on the fire brigade number in India says what to tell the control room.
• Ask about the fire NOC. Markets run by a committee, a municipality or a private owner should ask the local fire department about a fire safety certificate and an inspection, and keep the record where traders can see it.

For other market and shop fires, see the Jammu Shiv Market fire, the Pakribarawan market fire in Nawada, Bihar and the Khekra shop fire in Baghpat, where gas cylinders burst.