8 killed in fire at cracker shops in Vadodara

In a tragic incident on the eve of Diwali, at least eight persons were on Friday killed in a fire that broke out at a cracker shop in Rustampura village of Vaghodia tehsil of Vadodara district, police said. The fire started at a cracker shop in the evening and spread to the adjoining cracker shops and residential structures, Vadodara (rural) SP Saurabh Tolumbia said. “Police and fire brigade rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control. We have pulled out eight bodies from the site,” he said. Relief was being provided to those injured, he said adding that the cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Police and fire officials were deployed in large number at the spot, Tolumbia said.