Cuttack/UNI: A major fire at a market building in the busy Choudhury Bazar of Cuttack on Friday morning destroyed valuables, including garments worth several lakhs.

Fortunately, the fire did not spread to the nearby areas or other business establishments, and there were no casualties in the mishap.

At least ten fire tenders with over 50 fire personnel were pressed into service to extinguish the blaze, which took almost three hours to bring the situation under control.

Since the fire was reported in the morning, very few customers were present in the building.

The fire was first noticed on the ground floor of the building where a garment shop was located, and soon it spread to other floors of the four-story building. The entire area was engulfed with heavy smoke.

Sources said the garment shop had kept a large consignment of dress materials and sarees in view of Durga Puja, which were completely reduced to ashes.

The District Collector visited the spot for an on-the-spot investigation into the fire. The exact cause of the fire could not be ascertained.