QUETTA - Different local as well as foreign goods worth millions of rupees reduced to ashes when a fire broke out in the City Centre, close to crowded Liaquat Bazaar in the heart of provincial capital of Quetta, on Friday. The fire broke out at around 6:00pm in the first floor of building which gradually engulfed other floors gutting more than 200 different shops of ready-made garments, cloths, cosmetics , shoes and electronics. However luckily no one was hurt as the entire shopping plaza was closed due to weekly holiday on Friday. Police reached the site after the incident and fire brigade was called in the area. It took many hours to fire fighters to completely extinguish the blazing fire in the market. Soon after the incident, owners of all nearby shops rushed to the site and started saving goods from complete destruction, causing immense difficulties for firefighters to bring the blazing fire under control. The vehicles of fire bridge and private water tankers reached the site to extinguish the fire which could not be put off as thick black clouds of smoke could be seen rising from the building till late evening. Officials of fire bridge said that they were facing difficulties in getting access to the building as its main gates were closed due to the Friday holiday and added that due to wooden work inside the City Centre and cloths stocks the fire quickly engulfed other parts of the building. However, they said that they had brought the fire under control from outside and the adjacent shops and centers were now out of danger. A large number of people gathered nearby the City Centre creating problem for rescuers owing to which police had to resort to baton charge. Five people including two firefighters fell unconscious due to suffocation in the wake of thick smoke and later they were immediately shifted to the hospital. Talking to The Nation, the owner of City Centre Haji Abdul Bari said that more than 200 hundred shops having different Pakistani and foreign goods were gutted due to massive fire causing loss of millions of rupees. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, however, it is believed that short-circuit could be the cause of fire. Official sources said that the estimate of loss would be made after fire was completely put off.