Bhopal: Fire Ravages 3-Storey Building In Khanugaon, Many Rescued

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A massive fire broke out early Saturday morning at a three-storey building in the Khanugaon area, destroying goods worth several lakh and forcing evacuation of over two dozen people. The fire originated at a stitching centre on the first floor and rapidly spread to the upper floors. Fire tenders from across the city were deployed to control the blaze.

Saurabh Patel, Fire Officer at Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), said that initial investigations suggest the fire was caused by a short circuit in the wiring. The building, owned by Yunus Qureshi, housed both a stitching centre and residential units for eight families on the upper floors. At around 8 a.m., the fire broke out at the stitching centre where about 10 workers were sleeping.

The workers managed to escape and raised an alarm, but the fire quickly spread to other floors. Many of the residents, who were still asleep at the time, were rescued by locals who rushed inside the building. Firefighters arrived at the scene shortly after receiving the distress call and evacuated several women and children from the building.

They also safely removed LPG cylinders to prevent explosion. The fire raged for over three hours, with flames reaching heights of 10 to 20 feet, causing widespread panic among the locals. The fire was finally brought under control with the assistance of more than two dozen fire tenders and tankers from various fire stations across the city.

Residents said that bundles of clothes at the stitching centre easily caught fire, and the flames spread quickly due to wind. Workers from the stitching centre claimed that household goods and valuable equipment, including sewing machines, were destroyed, amounting to losses of several lakh rupees.