BANGALORE: A major fire broke out in the warehouse of LG company, damaging goods worth a few crores. The incident took place at Hyadalu village on Nelamanagla-Doddaballapura Road on Sunday morning.
It took more than ten hours for fire personnel to douse the fire. Home appliances stored at the warehouse were completely gutted in the fire.
Fire Department officials said that they received information about the fire at around 9.30 am and were operational by 10 am. As the fire had grown intensively, about 16 fire tenders from the city and six from Nelamangala and Doddaballapur were pressed into service. Over 100 fire personnel were on the ground to control the fire. Chief fire officer, Erappa, said that the warehouse was newly built. “The reason for the fire is not yet clear but it is suspected that fluctuation in voltage resulted in a short circuit, triggering the fire. Though the staff claim that the fire broke out around 7.30 am, we received the the call at 9.30 am. After some operations, the sheets of the warehouse collapsed and it was an obstacle to bring the fire under control. After an operation that lasted for over ten hours, the fire was completely doused off,” he explained. He added that the products were dumped in the warehouse 15 days ago, and the staff were not clear about how the fire broke out and the value of the products stored. However, he informed that the value of the gutted products was worth a few crores.
But Thimme Gowda, the in-charge of the warehouse, alleged that the fire department did not respond in time.
“My house is located around half-kilometer away from the warehouse and I noticed fire around 7.30 am. Immediately I passed the message to the police control room and fire department. But they took more than two hours to reach the spot,” he accused.
Meanwhile, the owner of the warehouse, Balaji, blamed the negligence of the warehouse staff for the disaster. “The goods were dumped in a haphazard manner and I had asked them to place it properly. But they neglected my advise and it has resulted in fire mishap,” he stated.
The Nelamanagala police have registered a case and are investigating.