Fire at Nagarahole, Chamundi Hills

Raging: The fire that broke out in two places in Chamundi Hills on Monday.

MYSORE: A major fire was reported at Nagarahole National Park on Monday. The fire, which destroyed large tracts of vegetation was noticed at Metikuppe, Veerahosanahalli and surrounding ranges but there are no reliable estimates of the extent of damage. Both Nagarahole and Bandipur National Parks have been ravaged by fires this season due to lack of rain. The region last received precipitation during September and October. Sources in the Forest Department said this was one of the longest dry spells experienced in both Bandipur and Nagarahole. Meanwhile, fire broke out at Chamundi Hills at two places late on Monday night. The fire was visible along a stretch of nearly 2 kms near Uttanahalli. But the extent of damage is not clear. Fire engines were rushed to the spot but they could not reach the exact spot where the fire had broken out.

Saras crashes, three IAF pilots killed

BANGALORE: A Saras prototype II, India’s first indigenously developed multi-role transport aircraft, which was on a test flight, crashed near Bidadi, on Friday instantly killing three Indian Air Force officers. The reason for the crash is yet to be ascertained. Designed and developed by National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL), the aircraft took off from HAL Airport at 2.55 p.m. before coming down around 3.30 p.m. near Seshagirihalli off Bangalore-Mysore Highway. Pilot Wing Commander K. Praveen, co-pilot Wing Commander D.K. Saha and flight engineer Squadron Leader S. Ilyaraja were charred to death as the flight burst into flames soon after it crashed in an open field. According to NAL officials, the aircraft lost contact with the Air Traffic Control (ATC) at 3.30 p.m. It was on a regular test flight, officials said. Sources said that such sorties were done twice a day and the aircraft took the same route for its training sorties. “We saw the aircraft coming down abruptly and followed the direction in which it went. It turned abruptly and started losing height. After a couple of somersaults in mid-air, it crashed. I could notice smoke from a distance,” said Anand, an eyewitness, recollecting the sequence of events before the aircraft crashed.

“Two loud blasts”
“As we went close, we heard two loud blasts. Except the tail-end of the aircraft, everything was burnt,” he added.Mr. Anand, a resident of Ramanagara, who was driving with his friend on the Mysore Road, claimed he informed the Ramanagara police immediately. While five fire tenders were rushed to the spot, Mr. Anand said everything was burnt by the time the fire engines reached the spot. The three experienced pilots along with the aircraft had taken part in the recently concluded Aero India 2009. Aircraft debris, including the propeller and parachute, were found strewn around the area, and some partially burnt parts were recovered as much as 500 metres away from the crash site. As the surging crowd threatened to run over the crash site, the police cordoned off the area to help the IAF officials locate the data recorder, black box and other details that could provide reasons for the crash. The charred bodies that were beyond recognition were salvaged from the debris around 7 p.m. Two rescue helicopters with some officials of the NAL and IAF were sent to the spot. The officials of Directorate-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are expected to visit the spot to conduct an inquiry on Saturday morning.

Woman burnt to death in fire accident

TUMKUR: A woman was burnt to death, 20 huts were destroyed, sheep and heads of cattle gutted in a fire at Akkirampura, near here on Tuesday. The reason for the fire was not known. Fire engines were rushed from the Fire Station here. They took four hours to extinguish the flames.
The police identified the victim as Lakshmi (70). The fire rendered over 300 people homeless. Relief work was yet to begin.Schoolchildren, among the victims, were worried over the loss of their textbooks and notebooks.

Raheja Paramount caught elcetric fire

From : Prajavani

Fire at Residency Road

A fire broke out in the Way2wealth Securities Pvt Ltd office, located on the seventh floor of Raheja Paramount at Residency Road on Thursday morning

Bangalore Mirror Bureau

A fire broke out in the Way2wealth Securities Pvt Ltd office, located on the seventh floor of Raheja Paramount at Residency Road on Thursday morning. Around 14 fire tenders rushed and doused the fire. The blaze started in the server room of the office at around 9 am. When one of the attenders switched on the UPS, a fire broke out. Sensing danger, the staff switched off the electric supply.Panicky staffers ran out as the fire spread through the office. Staffers of other offices like Intellectual Ventures, eCosway, Deccan Express and Logistics, and JTI were asked by the fire brigade to vacate the building.“Even though the building had fire safety equipment, it was not maintained properly. Hence the staff were unable to use the equipment,” said DGP (fire and emergency services) Jija Harisingh.

Fire at Raheja Paramount

From Sanjevani dated 19-02-2009

Godown gutted in Cubbonpet

Narrow and congested lanes in the city’s core area hampered the work of the fire brigade in tackling a major fire on 9th Cross, Cubbonpet Main Road.The fire started in the godown of a three-storied building at around 9.30 am on Friday and spread to the first and second floors within minutes. Though there were no casualties, the building suffered extensive damage.According to a fire force officer, highly combustible materials were kept in the godown and this led to the fire spreading quickly. Ten fire engines rushed to the spot and controlled the fire in about an hour.While an electrical short-circuit is thought to have caused the blaze, the fire brigade and KPTCL officials are trying to ascertain the real cause.Lakhs of rupees lost“I and members of my family were sleeping in the house when the neighbours shouted for us to get out,” said house owner Lokesh. Suspecting that the fire was caused by miscreants, Lokesh said it had caused him losses running into lakhs of rupees.Ulsoor Gate sub-division ACP Gachinacatti said the narrow roads in the area had caused problems for the fire fighters and urged residents of the area to be doubly cautious in preventing fire accidents.The Ulsoor Gate police are investigating the incident.