CLOSE CALL:Fire personnel douse the blaze at Shantharam Centre in Shanthinagar in Bangalore on Tuesday.
BANGALORE: A fire broke out in the mezzanine floor of a three-storey building under construction near the hockey stadium at Shantinagar here on Tuesday owing to the alleged negligence of the owner. The owner was trying to build a false roof using plywood on the mezzanine, which provided perfect fuel to the blaze. While nobody was injured, property estimated to be worth several lakh rupees was lost. Fire-fighters, who doused the conflagration within the hour, conceded that a slight delay could have allowed it to spread to the nearby building, which has several residential apartments. The cause is suspected to be an electrical short-circuit, according to K.U. Ramesh, Chief Fire Officer (Bangalore East), who oversaw the operation. He said the building's owner had secured a temporary electrical connection from a nearby power line. The entire construction activity, including welding and sawing, was being powered by this electrical line, putting the power source under tremendous pressure. “To make matters worse, all the safety measures were missing,” Mr. Ramesh said, pointing out that the building did not even have enough setback area to allow entry of fire engines. This forced the fire tenders to park their vehicles on the main road running through Shantinagar that connects Hosur Road and Lalbagh double Road. Asked if the building had a No Objection Certificate from the fire department, Mr. Ramesh said that it was not necessary as it was not a high-rise.
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