Residents in the Aishbagh area were in for a rude shock on Tuesday morning when a parked vehicle caught fire before exploding into a fireball. The impact of the blast sent debris flying into the air, eyewitnesses said.

While no one was reported injured in the incident, the explosion triggered panic in the vicinity of the Fatima Bi mosque in the neighbourhood, where the vehicle, a Maruti van, was parked.

The cause of the fire that triggered the blast in the LPG cylinder of the improvised vehicle remains unknown.

Firefighters from the Pul Bogda fire station arrived on the scene and brought the flames under control. Despite the explosion, the van continued burning for about 15 minutes.

The explosion occurred hours after four firefighters, along with an equal number of water tankers, battled for over an hour to control a fire at the posh 10 No Stop Market in the early hours of the day.

The fire, caused by a short circuit, started on the first floor of a boutique owned by Shamsher Alam before spreading to two neighbouring shops at 6:30 AM.

"Goods worth 45 lakh have been totally gutted," said Alam before blaming his losses on the late arrival of the firefighters.

Alam, who lives nearby, arrived at the scene within minutes of being informed of the fire by neighbours. The distraught boutique owner said that a timely arrival of firefighters could have helped him curtail his losses.

Refuting the claims, fire officials said they arrived on the scene soon after receiving information. "We deployed extra firefighters and engines to ensure that the blaze did not spread out of control," said Fire Officer Saurabh Patel.