BENGALURU: Thirteen two-wheelers were gutted in two separate fire incidents in the city on Saturday. The cause of both incidents is suspected to be short-circuit. No casualties have been reported in both incidents.
In Cholurpalya, items worth over Rs 20 lakh were gutted at an incense stick factory on Saturday. The factory, Sri Chamundi Industries, is located on 7th Cross, Pipeline Road, in Vijayanagar and is owned by Balachandra. The factory was rented to Vijay Ray and Kanti Lal. A total of eight vehicles were gutted in the ablaze as one of the two-wheelers parked outside the factory ignited the fire that extended to other bikes. Three fire tenders brought the fire under control.
Kanti Lal, who handles the printing section for incense stick covers at the factory, said the fire broke out around 9.15 am and continued for two hours. Panicked by the smoke coming out of the factory, the neighbours immediately informed the fire department and the owner. A complaint is registered with the KP Agrahara police station. Further investigation is on, In another incident, a fire broke out near a scrap shop in the Nandini Layout police limits on the same day.
A transformer located in Chamundi Nagar burst due to a short-circuit, gutting five two-wheelers parked next to the shop.
As the owner had reportedly stored tyres and other materials, the fire spread to the neighbouring buildings, including an old age home. The residents reportedly ran out of their houses, while the inmates of old age home had to be shifted to another place. Firemen struggled for nearly four hours to bring the fire under control.