20240509 Narrow escape for family after fire in Gautam Nagar
India May 09 2024 “Stores”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Narrow escape for family after fire in Gautam Nagar
Updated: 2024-05-09
Bhopal: A major fire broke out in the early hours of Wednesday, creating panic among locals in Gautam Nagar.
At 4:45 am, flames erupted from a ground-floor shop and swiftly spread to three adjacent establishments. A family residing above the shops found themselves trapped but were fortunately rescued by the fire brigade. The operation to douse the fire lasted around four hours.
According to firefighter Shahnawaz Ahmed, the affected shops included a grocery, a general store, a restaurant and a gym. The fire is believed to have started due to a short circuit and was fuelled by the presence of flammable materials in the clothing and general stores.
The intensity of the fire forced the firefighters to break open the shutters. Teams came from Govindpura, Fatehgarh, and Mata Mandir fire stations. The timely response averted a potentially larger disaster, as the area is densely populated with both shops, residential buildings.
However, there were complaints about the delayed arrival of the fire brigade. Shop owner Prafulla Goyal, whose general stores and matching centre were among those destroyed, reported that he was informed about the fire by locals and arrived there before the fire services. Samarth Gupta, a resident of a flat above the shops, recounted waking up to sounds resembling firecrackers.
In the rescue, five women were saved from the blaze. Despite the smoke and fire below, the family was able to reach the terrace and was rescued from there.
Web Source The Times of India