BENGALURU: In a tragic incident, five people, including a couple and their two children, died after a fire broke out in a four-storey building in Bengaluru on the wee hours of Saturday. The incident took place in a narrow road in Rajanna Lane, Nagarthpete, under the Halsuru Gate police station limits at around 2.45 am on Saturday.
It is suspected that the fire was caused by a short circuit on the first floor of a godown where plastic items and kitchenware were stored. Around 12 to 14 people managed to escape after the fire broke out in the building. As many as 10 houses were located on the third and fourth floors of the building, atop the godown.
Nearly 12 hours later, three trapped bodies were retrieved by Fire and Emergency Services personnel and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF). The rescue team faced difficulties reaching the spot to douse the flames and control the situation due to the narrow road and congested surroundings. Around five fire tenders, along with SDRF personnel, rushed to the spot after neighbours alerted.
The deceased have been identified as Madan Kumar (38), a business man and a native of Rajasthan, who lived with his wife Sangeeta (33) and their two children -- Vihan (5) and Mitesh (8). The other deceased, identified as Suresh (36), also lived in the same building.
A senior police officer told The New Indian Express, "The fire broke out on the first floor of the building, where plastic items and kitchenware were stored. It quickly spread throughout the premises. The first and second floors were used as godowns, while families lived on the third and fourth floors."
The police official added that Madan, who initially came out of the building after sensing the fire, locked his house door from outside, while his wife and children were inside. Madan and Suresh were later charred to death. Both bodies were sent to Victoria Hospital for postmortem.
After nearly 12 hours of operations, three more bodies, including those of two children, were recovered. Police said the fire is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit.
Another officer said Sangeeta had called her neighbours through phone seeking help to rescue the family. She later died of burn injuries, while the two children died due to asphyxiation, the officer added.
A senior fire officer said the blaze quickly engulfed the building, which was packed with highly flammable plastic materials and kitchenware. Thick smoke filled the premises, making it nearly impossible for firefighters to reach the trapped residents.
Owing to the congested locality, fire tenders had to be parked nearly 400 metres away from the spot, and the rescue team operated from a neighbouring building to douse the flames.
As the smoke was dense, firefighters drilled holes to check for people trapped inside. After confirming their presence, the team recovered the dead bodies. The officer added that the building had failed to comply with fire safety norms.
Housing Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan visited the spot and announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kith and kin of the two families.