The Dhorimanna handloom store fire destroyed merchandise worth crores of rupees at a four-storey Bhagwati Handloom store in Balotra district in the early hours of Monday, while all 28 employees inside the building escaped safely through a rear exit. No casualties were reported.
The blaze broke out at about 4am and took nearly six hours to bring under control, according to a report by the Times of India. Fire tenders were mobilised from Barmer, Balotra, Sanchore and the RGT area as firefighters and local residents worked to contain the flames and prevent them from spreading to nearby areas.
The store had stocked large quantities of electrical goods, food items and other merchandise over the previous few days in preparation for the Diwali shopping season. The store owner said both the building and its contents suffered extensive damage. The value of the destroyed stock was reported to be in crores of rupees.
The incident also highlighted the operational challenge of responding to fires in smaller towns when additional firefighting resources have to be brought in from neighbouring areas. The response involved administrations from Barmer, Balotra and Sanchore, with fire tenders sent from multiple locations before the fire could be brought under control.
Dhorimanna Sub-Divisional Magistrate Badrinarayan Vishnoi coordinated the response and oversaw the evacuation. The safe exit of all 28 employees meant that the incident did not result in loss of life despite the fire breaking out inside a multi-storey commercial building during the night.
Following the fire, Vishnoi directed Dhorimanna tehsildar Chandraprakash Sharma to inspect fire-safety equipment and arrangements at handloom stores and other commercial establishments within the municipal limits. The inspection is intended to identify gaps and prevent similar incidents, although the report did not specify whether any preliminary cause of the fire had been established.
The administrative response now shifts from emergency control to checking whether commercial premises have functioning fire-safety equipment and adequate arrangements. The scope of the inspection includes handloom stores and other establishments in Dhorimanna, making it the next official step after the destruction of the Bhagwati Handloom store and its Diwali inventory.
