BENGALURU: Five people, including four members of a family of a couple and two children, were charred to death after a massive fire broke out in a commercial building in Nagarthpet near KR Market on Saturday.
The victims of the tragedy were Madan (38), his wife Sangita (33) and their children Mitesh (8) and Vihaan (5). Another person named Suresh also died in the fire on a different floor.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh visited the place and inspected the damage.
Speaking to the media, he said that the fire broke out around 2:30 am on Saturday. “The fire department and police are investigating the cause. The fire started on the ground floor, where a warehouse is located, and spread to the upper floors. Most people in the building managed to escape, but one family was trapped in the fire”, he said.
The upper floor was completely engulfed in flames and smoke, making it difficult for rescue teams to access the area. The operation was ongoing till evening, with firefighters, forensic experts and rescue teams working to locate any remaining bodies.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central) Akshay Kumar said, “The police and fire brigade personnel worked hard from the early morning hours. Initially, we found two bodies and later, three more bodies were recovered. A total of five bodies have been retrieved. The staff worked hard to retrieve the bodies from inside the building. The smoke has now reduced and further operations are under way.”
The fire brigade personnel successfully extinguished the fire after a continuous 12-hour operation. The fire, which broke out around 3 am, was finally brought under control around 3 pm with the help of eight fire tenders, over 100 personnel, and more than 30 police officers. Five bodies were recovered from the building and sent to Victoria Hospital.
The department is investigating the cause of the fire, including the possibility of a short circuit or cylinder leak. An FIR has been registered at Halasuru Gate police station against the building owners, Balakrishna Shetty and Sandeep Shetty under Sections 105, 3(5), and 324(5) of the BNS on the basis of a complaint lodged by Madan’s brother Gopal Singh.
The complaint alleges that the building was constructed unscientifically without proper safety measures, windows or lighting and ventilation and that the owners’ negligence indirectly led to the deaths.
