MYSURU: Two people were killed and five others injured after a fire broke out at a bar and restaurant in Mysuru on Monday afternoon and officials suspect a short-circuit to be the cause.
The incident occurred on the top floor of Fox Den Kitchen and Mixology Joint near Netaji Circle in Dattagalli. Two hotel cooks, Shaheen (26) from Darjeeling and Prakash (24) from Nepal died due to severe burns. Several others, including customers Sonu (25), Ramesh (25), Mahadeva Prasad (32), Prajwal (26), Avinash (27) and hotel owner Preetham, sustained injuries and were admitted to nearby private hospitals.
Shaheen’s wife, who also worked at the establishment, was present on the first floor during the incident and managed to escape.
Inferno sweeps through actor’s bar; no fire exit in building
The fire broke out around 3.15 pm when staff and customers noticed a small spark near the kitchen area.
Around 30 customers were dining in the restaurant a that time. The floor was made using sheet structures and decorated with grass, cloth, and wooden elements, while the kitchen contained cooking oils and other flammable material. The fire spread rapidly and engulfed the entire floor within minutes.
While most customers and staff escaped via the staircase, the two cooks reportedly entered a small room in the kitchen trying to save themselves, but were trapped and died in the blaze. Some patrons who ran towards the portico were later rescued by firefighters. Emergency teams arrived later and brought the situation under control.
Bar owned by Kannada actor
The restaurant is owned by actor Preetham, who starred in the Kannada film Brahma Vishnu Maheshwara and also runs River Ranch Resort near Srirangapatna. He and his friend Avinash were present on the second floor at the time of the fire. Avinash sustained burns to his head, while Preetham suffered injuries on his hands and face. Preetham was helping an unconscious customer during the evacuation when he sustained injuries.
Fire close to selfie spot
Floor manager Prasad told TNIE the fire began near a decorative installation close to a selfie spot near the kitchen. Initial attempts were made to douse the flames with water, but the fire quickly intensified. Staff directed customers to use the stairs instead of the elevator for evacuation.
Some customers panicked and moved towards the portico, from where a few tried to jump down, but were prevented by bystanders. Fire and emergency services were alerted immediately, and firemen used ladders to rescue those stranded in the portico.
Fire Service Department Officer Ranganath said the presence of flammable materials such as cooking oil, bamboo furniture, cloth decorations and dry grass contributed to the rapid spread of the fire, which engulfed the floor within minutes. “As there was no fire exit in the building, there were deaths in the incident,” he said.
The bar and restaurant opened in January last year. Having completed 175 days, the management had announced a special promotional offer on Monday and customers were charged a flat Rs 175 for any food item. But there were fewer customers as it coincided with Amavasya.
‘Wife noticed fire’
Customer Gurudeva, who sustained burns on his left hand and neck, told TNIE that he entered the restaurant at 2.50 pm with his wife and brother.
“We were having our main course when my wife noticed the fire and asked us to run towards the stairs. The flames had already engulfed the entire floor. It was our first visit. Everything changed within seconds. The stairs were hardly 10 feet from our table. When we reached them and looked back, the whole floor was on fire,” he said.
His wife Tejaswini said the presence of highly flammable decorations contributed to the rapid spread of the fire. “The place was decorated with dry grass and bunny bags, so the fire spread within seconds. We managed to escape. There were around 30 customers inside. We had postponed our visit earlier due to other work and decided to come today and it happened on the day of the fire,” she said.
Residents had complained
Local residents said that they had earlier complained about loud music and frequent parties at the restaurant. The owner had reportedly taken up the construction work to install a sheet barrier to reduce noise. As part of this ongoing work, workers were welding metal structures, during which a spark is suspected to have ignited the fire that later spread in the building.