Fire Breaks Out At Astrophysics Institute

Their presence of mind averts another Carlton

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: It could have been another Carlton on Friday afternoon, but thankfully, it wasn’t. A fire which broke out at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Koramangala, was handled with great calm by those trapped inside.
The fire broke out on the ground floor and smoke engulfed the entire building till the fourth floor. There were at least 40 people inside. Smoke had covered the entire staircase, making it impossible for them to use it.
However, the discipline among inmates and timely intimation to the fire department saved the day. All they did was identify a safe place, open some of the windows on the fourth floor and wait there till the fire personnel arrived.
The Fire Force rescued over 40 members holed up on the fourth floor, and also extinguished the fire. The entire operation was completed in less than one hour.

LUNCH HOUR BLAZE

The fire started around 1.20 pm, when many of the employees were out for lunch. It was first noticed in the server room, which is next to the staircase on the ground floor. Even before anyone realized there was a fire, the smoke started travelling through the staircase and filled the other floors.
Since it was lunch hour, there were only around 45 people inside the building. They moved to the fourth floor and called up the fire force.
Seven fire tenders from Jayanagar and surrounding areas were rushed to the spot. While two were fighting the fire in the server room, the other fire tenders raised their ladders and began rescue work, bringing everyone down safely.
Fire Force director B G Chengappa said it was discipline that was the saviour. “Since it was lunch hour, there was little traffic on the road, which helped us reach the place early,’’ he said.
Chengappa said they suspect the fire was triggered by either a short-circuit or overload on the server. “One thing we learnt was not to allow the server room next to the staircase,’’ he added.


TIMELY ACTION: A member of the Fire Force checks out the damage at the Institute of Astrophysics

 

From Times of India dated 24-07-2010