BENGALURU: A 29-year-old cook suffered serious injuries when he jumped off Mudpipe Cafe, which is on the fourth floor of KDP Building at Tavarekere Junction on Hosur Road opposite Forum Mall after a major fire broke out in one of the two kitchens there on Wednesday.
The cafe had a hookah bar which was shut last month following the state government’s ban on such bars. There were no customers at the cafe when the fire broke out around 11.45 am due to a leak in one of the commercial LPG cylinders stored in the kitchen to prepare meals for the staffers.
Soon, three cylinders exploded and the fire spread to other parts of the cafe. As the fire engulfed the top floor of the building opposite Prestige Acropolis, a panic-stricken Prem Singh Saud from Nepal, a cook at the main kitchen of the cafe, jumped off the fourth floor to save his life. Saud was rushed to KG Hospital in Tilak Nagar by the police and passers-by. He was later shifted to Apollo Hospital in Jayanagar, where he is being treated in the intensive care unit. He is stated to be in a critical condition.
An eyewitness, who works as a cook at a paying guest accommodation in the locality, said the explosions were intense. Within a few seconds, three cylinders exploded. One of the cylinders fell a few feet away from the road. But fortunately, there were no pedestrians or vehicles at that time.
Some policemen on duty on Hosur Road swung into action and rescued four persons who were in the gym on the second floor of the building. Fire force personnel, who rushed to the building, evacuated people from the floors below. Eight fire tenders were pressed into service and the blaze was put out by 2pm.
Five two-wheelers parked on the building premises were destroyed as burning material fell on them. A brand new car waiting to be delivered to a customer at 3 pm was partially damaged as charred metal and glass pieces fell on it from the top floor.
Special team to probe cafe fire
A probe is on to know whether the owner of KDP Building, Karan Jain, has a licence to run the cafe. An FIR has been registered at SG Palya police station under IPC Section 286 (negligence concerning explosive substances), 338 (causing grievous hurt), and 427 (mischief causing damage) in connection with the blaze. Raman Gupta, Additional Commissioner of Police (East), said that a special team will be formed to conduct a detailed investigation. The four-storeyed building has a car showroom on the ground and first floors, a fitness centre on the second floor, a leadership training institute on the third floor, and the top floor houses Mudpipe Cafe.