Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Panic gripped Jawahar Chowk on Wednesday afternoon after a massive fire broke out in a rooftop store room of a residential apartment at Bharat Mata Square.
The incident occurred around 3 pm at B-block of Pragati Apartment, a four-storey building, leading to chaos in the busy locality, said officials.
As precaution, residents of the building rushed out onto the street fearing a major mishap. Fortunately, timely evacuation ensured that no injuries or loss of life were reported in the incident.
According to eyewitnesses, the fire started suddenly on the terrace where a store room had been constructed. Within minutes, the flames engulfed the entire structure, sending thick black smoke billowing into the sky.
Locals said that the intensity of the fire was such that it could be seen from a considerable distance, drawing a large crowd and causing temporary traffic congestion on the adjoining road.
Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said that three fire vehicles and 15 fire-fighting personnel battled the flames for nearly one-and-a-half to two hours before bringing the fire under control.
//Old electrical items stored on terrace
The store room reportedly contained old furniture and defunct electrical appliances including coolers, fans and air conditioners. Local residents claimed they heard a loud explosion-like sound, suspected to be from an air conditioner, moments before the fire erupted. This has led to speculation that an old AC may have exploded and triggered the blaze though officials have not yet confirmed the exact cause.
Major accident averted
BMC fire officer Pankaj Khare said the blaze was extremely intense and firefighters had to exercise extra caution due to the suspected presence of an oil-filled drum inside the store room. As a safety measure, an SSB team was also deployed at the site.
No causalities reported
TT Nagar, ACP, Ankita Khatankar stated that the fire broke out in scrap kept in a room on the rooftop, and no casualties or injuries were reported in the incident. Preliminary investigation suggests that the fire was caused due to a short circuit in the air conditioner wiring, said ACP.
