Kotdwar: A major fire engulfed a General store in Aampandav area of Kotdwar. The fire is said to have caused a loss of more than Rupees 5 lakh. According to initial reports the incident took place in the wee hours of Thursday morning. People who were on their morning walk in the area reported black smoke coming out from Shri Ram General store. They alerted the shop owner Shobhit Garg who when raised the shutter of the shop saw flames engulfing all the valuable goods in his shop.
Bystanders started to extinguish the fire but the presence of unsold crackers from Diwali inside the shop added fuel to the fire. Ultimately the fire brigade was called on the scene and were able to overcome the flames after half an hour of struggle. A short circuit is believed to have been the cause of the fire.