Major fire breaks out in commercial building

 

Safety ignored: Smoke billowing from ‘The Trade Centre’ where a fire broke out on Wednesday.
Building does not have clearance from Fire Department

MANGALORE: A major fire engulfed the third and fourth floors of a multi-storeyed commercial complex “The Trade Centre”, situated on the main road connecting the Bunts Hostel and Jyothi Circle here on Wednesday.There was, however, no loss of life or serious injury to the 100-odd people who were stranded inside for over two hours. However, five of the rescued persons were shifted to private hospitals after they complained of breathlessness. The fire that broke out around 11 a.m. was brought under control by 1 p.m. by the Fire and Emergency Services personnel. Chief Fire Officer H.S. Varadarajan said the fire had damaged parts of the third and fourth floors. Although unofficial estimates put the loss on account of damage to property around Rs. 1 crore, Mr. Varadarajan estimated it at around half that amount. He also dismissed suggestions that the fire might have been caused by an electrical short-circuit on the third floor. Mr. Varadarajan lambasted the builders of “The Trade Centre” for not following fire safety guidelines. “It does not have the No Objection Certificate from our department,” he said. Pointing out that the fire broke out near the staircase of the building, he said, “Such a large building should have at least two staircases, apart from an emergency exit”. He said that most of the people were stranded because there was no alternative staircase in the building. Deputy Commissioner V. Ponnuraj said the incident should act as a wake-up call for owners of large buildings in the city. “We will launch an awareness campaign in the city about fire safety guidelines,” he said. Asked if the district administration would initiate legal action against the building owners, he said, “We will have to do that. But if you go to the root of the problem, you will find that the district administration and its civic authority (Mangalore City Corporation) are also to blame. ”He said the administration had failed to rein in errant builders who were flouting building laws with impunity. “If legal action is to be seriously initiated, then my predecessors too will have to be brought to book for allowing these builders to violate the laws,” he said.