Indore : Fire broke out early on Thursday morning at a hostel located in Clerk Colony. The students residing in the hostel managed to escape, but their belongings were gutted in the fire. According to the Fire Brigade, the fire started at around 7 am on Thursday on the third floor of a building being run as Lovely Hostel and located near Sanjay School in Clerk Colony.
The fire started from the kitchen and then spread quickly. The flames and smoke filled the corridors and students began suffocating and panicked. Most of the students were asleep and only managed to escape leaving behind their personal effects and other items which were completely gutted.
All students are pursing architecture courses and have lost valuable equipment in the fire. As soon as the fire started, residents and students tried to douse it, but their efforts went in vain.
Finally, Fire Brigade arrived on the scene and used up two water tankers to douse the fire. The losses are expected to be run into lakhs of rupees. SI Shivnarayan Sharma of Fire Brigade said that since the fire was on the third floor, the personnel had great difficulty to access the area.
The Fire Brigade personnel then climbed on to adjacent buildings trying to lead water to the blaze. One of the buildings gave them a vantage piont that allowed them to throw a stream of water.
Another team of Fire Brigade personnel moved from the stairs and gained access to the kitchen. They later gained control over the blaze. Sharma claimed that two LPG cylinders were found among the charred remains.
“We suspect that one of the cylinders was leaking. It must have caused the fire,” he added. What could be saved from the belongings of the students were two mobile phones. Rest all the belongings were gutted. Many students were found crying profusely claiming that their academic notes were also lost in the fire, which may cost them badly in the exams.
