Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): A massive fire broke out in the storeroom of Sayaji Hotel on Bhadbhada Road on Monday morning around 8:15 am, triggering panic among hotel staff and guests. The blaze, believed to have been caused by a short circuit in a generator, destroyed tents, sheets, blankets and decorative materials stored for events.
According to police officials, the storeroom is located nearly 50 meters away from the main hotel building where guests were staying. This distance prevented the fire from spreading to the hotel rooms and averted a major tragedy. However, flames were seen rising 10 to 15 feet high, and thick black smoke was visible from as far as the Bhadbhada Bridge, nearly half a kilometre away.
Sayaji Hotel, situated opposite the Bhadbhada area, uses the storeroom to store wedding and ceremonial materials. On Monday morning, the generator installed there was operational when a sudden short circuit ignited nearby flammable items. Due to the highly combustible nature of the stored materials, the fire spread rapidly.
Fire tenders of Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) from Mata Mandir and Pul Bogda fire stations rushed to the spot soon after receiving information, along with police personnel, also reached the scene. Hotel staff attempted initial fire fighting efforts to control the blaze before fire fighters arrived.
Pradeep Srivastava, Fire Officer at Mata Mandir Fire Station, said it took nearly one and a half hours to completely extinguish the fire. The fire was confined to the storeroom. Although several guests were present in the hotel, there was no danger to them due to the distance, he said.
Police officials said that no injuries or casualties were reported in the incident.
