Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh): A massive fire broke out at a multi-storey commercial complex here on Wednesday evening. Among 50 people who were rescued, about 12 persons were trapped inside the building amid the fire and thick smoke.
Teams from the police, district administration, State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and Ujjain Municipal Corporation launched a rescue operation.
The fire broke out at Bagadia Tower, located near Old Central Kotwali police station, at around 4 pm at a medical store situated on the ground floor of the building. Within minutes, the flames spread to the flats on the upper floors.
According to superintendent of police (SP) Pradeep Sharma, the shutter of the medical store was closed, causing smoke to spread to the upper floors through the ventilation chamber.
Around 15 people, including women and children, were trapped inside the building at the time of the incident. The SP said that thick smoke throughout the building made the rescue operation extremely challenging.
During the rescue operation, around 40 young men from the Muslim community also joined efforts to evacuate people safely and extinguish the fire. Local residents attempted to douse the flames by pouring water from buckets. They also broke open the shutters of shops and poured water inside to control the fire.
A crane was used to rescue people trapped on the upper floors. Painters also assisted in evacuating people with the help of suspended platforms and ladders. Fireman Abhishek Tiwari safely rescued a woman suffering from cancer and her daughter.
Subsequently, the rescue team re-entered the building to save two more women. However, due to the dense smoke, Abhishek collapsed after being overcome by suffocation. Other members of the team brought him out of the building.
After nearly two and a half hours of strenuous efforts, the fire was brought under control. A total of 50 people were evacuated during the rescue operation, including around 15 people who had been trapped due to the smoke and were safely rescued. Some people were taken to hospital after experiencing breathing difficulties.
Some individuals were taken to hospital for treatment after experiencing breathing difficulties due to the smoke. The cause of the fire has not yet been established.
The blaze was brought under control after about two and a half hours. Besides SP, collector Raushan Kumar Singh supervised the entire rescue operation. MP Anil Firojiya also reached the spot. He announced to provide Rs 11,000 to all those persons who worked hard to rescue the people trapped in the fire.
Expired medicines found stored in vacant shops
Following the massive fire which broke out at Bagadia Tower, another issue has come to light involving the storage of expired medicines inside the building. Information has emerged that expired medicines belonging to MP Medical were being stored in vacant shops inside the tower.
The tower owner has alleged that the medical store operator had dumped large quantities of expired medicines in the vacant spaces of the building like rubbish. The tower owner claimed that a complaint regarding the matter had also been lodged at the police station on Aug 11.
However, he alleged that the police sent him back after advising him to register a complaint through the CM Helpline. The issue remained unresolved even after this.
