Pimpri-Chinchwad: A massive fire broke out below Rangla Punjab Restaurant in the Pimple Saudagar area of Pimpri-Chinchwad on Monday. The Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) Fire Brigade is currently working to bring the blaze under control.
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The incident has caused traffic disruption on Kunal Icon Road, and commuters are advised to avoid the area until the situation is resolved.
A major fire broke out inside the ASquare Medical & IIT-JEE Academy in Pimple Saudagar. The coaching class is located in Prime Square Housing Society, directly below the popular Rangla Punjab Restaurant on Kunal Icon Road of Pimple Saudagar. The fire brigade received the call about the blaze around 3 PM on Monday.
Deputy fire officer Gautam Ingawale of PCMC told The Free Press Journal, “Four fire vehicles were dispatched -- Two from PCMC Main Fire Station, and one each from Thergaon and Nehru Nagar Fire Stations. The fire vehicles at Rahatani Fire Station -- which is the closest to the spot -- were busy answering another fire incident call. It took great efforts and much time to reach the building due to traffic and road works ongoing near Kunjir Chowk on Kunal Icon Road.”
Ingawale further said that initially, the call was regarding the printer catching fire. However, the staff inside the coaching class tried to extinguish it themselves, which made the matter worse. The fire became big, and the whole room caught fire, and due to unsuccessful efforts to extinguish the fire, the smoke started spreading widely too.
42 Students, Five Restaurant Staff Rescued
Ingawale further told The FPJ, “There were a total of 42 people in the coaching center. Some of them are students and faculty. They were in danger of suffocating due to the smoke. Our team rescued them. Then we found out that around five people were stuck in the Rangla Punjab Restaurants on the fifth floor. The fire took place on the fourth floor. We rescued all and extinguished the fire. We tried to limit the damage caused by the fire, as it's a commercial complex filled with offices and other spaces.”
Fire Brigade officials on the spot said that the building was hard to reach due to its complex architecture. Residents passing around the Kunal Icon Road reported heavy traffic on the already narrow road.
PCMC’s Fire Brigade is now investigating the circumstances behind the blaze.
