BENGALURU: Talking about the operations to put out the fire that raged at the Aero India parking lot on Saturday, Sunil Agarwal, ADGP Fire and Emergency, said that it was a joint operation between his staff and airbase staff. He also commended his staff’s efforts in taking out several vehicles from the parking lot.
He said that 57 cars were pulled out before they caught fire, and the resulting break in the spread of the fire protected more than a 1,000 vehicles from catching fire. Following the incident, more than 100 fire personnel along with mini fire tender vehicles will be deployed on Sunday, as more visitors are expected to attend the show.
“To prevent any accidental fires and mishaps, we have taken all precautionary measures,” Agarwal added.
“We are not investigating the case since the mishap took place on airforce land. If they write to us to conduct the probe, then we will think about it. Since we are not part of the investigation, I do not want to comment on the cause or any reasons that led to the mishap,” Agarwal said.Former KSFES director Ramesh K U said that the possibility of some miscreants starting the fire on purpose could not be ruled out.
He also pointed out other possibilities and said that locals might have set fire to garbage in the vicinity, leading to the fire. “It is too early to come to a conclusion,” he said. Ramesh further said that in the summer, dry grass catches fire easily. “Since it is defence land, CCTV footage, if available, should be examined,” Ramesh said. Another officer said a possible fuel leak or an LPG cylinder fit to a vehicle could have also caused the fire.