Bhubaneswar, Jul 17: A fire broke out at the Sreeleathers showroom in Ashok Nagar, Bhubaneswar, early Friday morning, causing extensive damage to merchandise worth several lakhs of rupees.

According to reports, smoke was first noticed around 5 am by staff members of a lodge located on the upper floor of the building. They immediately alerted the showroom owner, who informed the Fire Services.

Three fire tenders rushed to the spot and managed to bring the blaze under control before it could spread to the upper floors. Firefighters also took preventive measures to stop the flames from reaching the lodge above.

The showroom was filled with thick smoke during the operation. To ventilate the building and release the trapped smoke, firefighters broke the glass windows on the upper floor.

Although the building escaped major structural damage, the bag section on the ground floor was completely gutted in the fire. More than 500 bags, including school bags, trolley bags, and various types of handbags, were destroyed. Merchandise worth several lakhs of rupees is feared to have been lost.

In addition to the fire damage, several other items inside the showroom were also damaged due to water used during the firefighting operation.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire was triggered by a short circuit. The exact cause and the extent of the losses are being assessed.