Fire engulfs godown

Bangalore: A big fire ripped through a godown housing plastic pipes and other material near Poornima cinema near CKC Garden on J.C. Road here in the late hours of Wednesday. Nearly 60 men from the Fire and Emergency Services, with the help of 14 fire tenders, fought the flames for more than 90 minutes. None was injured in the accident. Though the cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained, Fire and Emergency Services officials suspected that it could be electrical short-circuit. According to Raghu Kumar, a resident, the fire broke out at 10.45 p.m. Alerted by the acrid smell and thick plumes of smoke emanating from the building, he called the Fire and Emergency Services. Investigation is on, though a police complaint is yet to be lodged.

Fire damages SSLC Hindi answer scripts

EFFORT GONE WASTE:Deputy Commissioner V. Ponnuraj (centre) inspecting the burnt answer scripts of SSLC examination in Shimoga on Thursday.

Shimoga: Nearly 3,000 Hindi language answer scripts of SSLC examinations stored at Basaveshwara Education Society premises in the city were gutted on Thursday. Of the 100 bundles of answer scripts of Mysore district stored at the building, 10 bundles were damaged in the fire. Fire tenders, which were pressed into service immediately, managed to contain the damage. Deputy Director of Public Instruction Paramashivappa has said that the paper bundles in the building caught fire because of an electric short circuit. It is said that welding work had been taken up as part of the renovating of building in the evening, and a spark from this is suspected to have caused the fire. Deputy Commissioner V. Ponnuraj said a complaint had been lodged with the police about the incident. The remaining bundles of answer scripts were shifted to a safe place.

The spot would be inspected by Controller of Examination, he added.

Police personnel, who were guarding the building, had noticed smoke billowing from the room at 7 p.m. Officials of the Department of Public Instruction were immediately informed and fire brigade alerted. Over 5,000 answer scripts of the examination conducted by Kuvempu University for undergraduate course stored at a private college in the city caught fire in 2009.

Fire in stationery godown

Firemen trying to extinguish the fire that broke out in a godown near Avenue Road in Bangalore on Sunday. Bangalore: Stocked stationery was damaged after fire broke out in a godown used near the congested Raja Market on Avenue Road here on Sunday evening. No one was injured. Regional Fire Officer Ravishankar said that nine fire tenders were deployed to douse the blaze. The godown is surrounded by several other godowns and shops, and the firemen had a difficult time containing the fire. “The building was old and not equipped with fire fighting systems. Moreover, the electrical cables and devices were of poor quality,” Mr. Ravishankar said. The source of the blaze is believed to be a short circuit. The police had a tough time regulating traffic, which had to be directed away from the congested road.

Another fire

Waste material stored on the terrace of a house were gutted in another fire on the Yelahanka-Devanahalli Road in Vinayakanagar near Bagalur Cross on Sunday morning. Three fire tenders brought the blaze under control.

Fire destroys equipment

BELLARY: Equipment and materials at five workshops were destroyed in a fire accident on Sunday morning. The loss was estimated to be around Rs. 40 lakh. Short circuit is said to be the cause of the accident. The Fire and Emergency Services Personnel, on getting the information, swung into action and controlled the fire from spreading. Health Minister B. Sriramulu visited the spot and assured the shopowners of getting adequate compensation.

Moodbidri: Short Circuit - Stationery Shop Gutted

Moodbidri, Nov 29: A stationery shop located at Jain Pete in the town was reduced to ashes after midnight on Saturday November 27. The loss in this fire accident is put at two lac rupees.

The ‘Namaha Books and Stationery Shop’ owned by Jayamma Jayaraj and located near MLA, K Abhayachandra Jain’s house, burnt down in the tragedy. A watchman in the MLA’s house saw flames in the shop at around 1 am on Sunday and informed the legislator and fire brigade. The MLA alerted the family of the shop owner about the tragedy, and efforts to contain the fire were begun immediately.

By the time fire brigade came, cupboards, books and other items stored in the shop had been destroyed. The fire brigade personnel fought for about two hours to control the fire. The policemen also visited the spot and assessed the situation. But for the timely action of the watchman in question, fire would have spread to nearby houses, and the loss would have been much greater, it is being analyzed.

Mangalore: Cotton worth Six Lac Rupees Gutted

To read this article click here.

30 shops gutted in Sante Honda

The aftermath:A vegetable vendor surveys the site of the fire at the Sante Honda market in Chitradurga on Thursday.

Chitradurga: As many as 30 shops were destroyed in a fire reportedly caused by a short-circuit at the Sante Honda vegetable market here on Thursday. According to the police, the fire started early on Thursday and large quantities of horticultural produce were destroyed in the blaze.
Fire and Emergency Services personnel, who doused the fire, said that the wooden planks and the tarpaulin sheets used to cover the produce resulted in the fire spreading quickly.
Deputy Commissioner Amlan Aditya Biswas estimated the loss to be between Rs. 3 lakh and Rs. 4 lakh. The tahsildar and the Chitradurga City Municipal Council had been asked to assess the exact loss, he added. As there was no loss of life no compensation would be given, Mr. Biswas said. “However, we have promised to get the shops rebuilt under the Backward Region Grant funds (BRGF)”, he said. He also added that the CMC had discretionary powers to disburse a limited amount of compensation to the vendors.

From The Hindu dated 09-04-2010

Bangalore high-rise fire kills nine

BANGALORE: Nine people, three of them women, died and 68 were injured in a fire at Carlton Towers, a seven-storey commercial complex on HAL Airport Road, here on Tuesday. Seven were brought dead to the hospital. At least three of them leapt to their death by breaking open windows on the sixth and seventh floors in panic even as a thick blanket of smoke engulfed the floors.

Origin in service duct : Disturbing images of three people jumping to their deaths were broadcast on television, starkly reminiscent of the initial images of the collapse of the twin towers of the World Trade Center in the U.S. The fire is believed to have begun in the service duct in the second floor around 4.30 p.m. Smoke spread to the upper floors through the service ducts, scattering people in offices and the several restaurants in the building. The Fire and Emergency Services, which were alerted by passersby who noticed smoke emanating from the top floors, reached the place at 5 p.m. Seven fire engines were deployed and medical and paramedical personnel, armed with 1,000 masks from the nearby Manipal Hospital, rushed to the spot. Fire personnel said the flames were doused by 6.15 p.m., adding that the absence of proper ventilation aggravated the situation. The injured include five Fire and Emergency Services personnel and a police constable. Traffic was disrupted as large crowds of anxious onlookers gathered below the building.

“Only smoke, no flames” : Onlookers said they did not see any flames, only smoke.Manipal Hospital Medical Director H.S. Ballal said that none of the deceased sustained burns. “Several people in the Intensive Care Units currently require lung support. Most suffered from asphyxiation due to thick smoke,” he said.

The deceased : The list of the deceased persons, released by the hospital, is as follows: Savitha, Benzi Shanthakumar, Rajesh Subramaniam, Surabhi Joshi, Purohit Madan, Sunil Iyer, Fayaz Pasha, Akhil Uday and Siddharth Padam. Their identities were ascertained from their ID cards and name plates. Their bodies were taken to Victoria and Bowring Hospital for autopsy. Rakesh Ramachandran, part of the fire rescue team the neighbouring luxury hotel Leela Palace, said that the exit doors on every floor were locked. He had rushed to Carlton Towers following a call from a friend who was trapped in the building. The locked doors made it impossible for people to use the stairs that led to the ground floor, he claimed.

ಕ್ಯಾಪಿಟಲ್ ಹೋಟೆಲ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಬೆಂಕಿ

ವಿಜಯ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕ ದಿನಾಂಕ ೦೯-೧೨-೨೦೦೯

Fire creates panic at hotel

FIGHTING A BLAZE: Fire and Emergency Services personnel preparing to put out a fire that broke out at Hotel Capitol in Bangalore on Tuesday.

BANGALORE: Fire broke out at the basement of Hotel Capitol following a short circuit at an electricity panel here on Tuesday. Though there were no causalities, the incident created panic among the occupants, making it difficult for the Fire and Emergency Services personnel to access the source of the conflagration. According to eyewitness accounts, two persons came out running from the basement around 1.30 p.m. shouting that sparks were flying out of the electricity panel.
Thick smoke emanated from the panel, which is located on the second level of the basement Hotel staff and policemen, posted on duty just outside the hotel in view of a protest march, alerted the Fire and Emergency Services. The personnel took an hour to douse the blaze and remove the burnt panel and the cable wire. Director of Fire and Emergency Services B.G. Chengappa said the thick smoke prevented the hotel personnel using the fire fighting equipment installed in the basement. It was left to the firemen wearing protective gear to fight the blaze. Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa is attending a function at the hotel where he is releasing the revised policy document on the Information Technology, Biotechnology and Science and Technology on Wednesday.

Fire mishap claims one life

A tea stall vendor was killed, while another person suffered burns in a fire mishap at a lodge in K R Market area here on Friday.
The deceased, Ganapathi (45), a tea stall vendor in City Market area and a resident of Kolar, died due to suffocation in his room. The injured Putta (30), owner of a petty shop in the same area, is battling for life at the Victoria Hospital, here.According to the police, both of them were staying in Sudha Lodge at K R Market. The lodge is a two-storey building, constructed several years ago. It was Ganapathi’s routine to prepare tea in the room and sell in the market area. The accident occurred when the kerosene stove accidentally burst while preparing the tea. Very soon, the fire spread spewing thick clouds of smoke. He tried to put out the fire, but failed in his attempts. Soon, he collpased coughing and seeking help in a low voice, said police. Putta, who was staying in an adjacent room, was in the bathroom when the incident occurred. He fainted moments after the smoke and flames entered his room. A few persons, who were on the first floor, noticed the fire and informed the lodge owner. The police and fire force personnel rushed to the spot and put out the fire. By the time they brought Ganapathi out of the room, he was dead. They immediately shifted Putta to the hospital. The police have taken the lodge owner, Thimme Gowda, into custody and a case of negligence has been registered against him, added the police.