Date:26/05/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/05/26/stories/2005052619000300.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Building destroyed in Shivajinagar fire

Staff Reporter

Wooden, plastic furniture and other material used for functions were kept in the structure

Fiery blaze: The structure that caught fire in Shivajinagar in Bangalore on Wednesday. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: A major fire broke out on Shivajinagar main road on Wednesday night destroying the building of the oldest tent house in the city.

The fire also spread to the next building which houses a Urdu newspaper daily and the office of the Press Information Bureau.

Thirty-five fire tenders were pressed into service and fire-fighters fought hard to control the blaze. There were no reports of any causality, the Director-General of Police and Director of Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services, B.N.P. Albuquerque, said.

The fire broke out suddenly around 7 p.m. said the owner of the tent house, Saleh Ahmed.

Many of the family members were moving around assisting the fire services personnel.

The building housed wooden and plastic furniture, pandals and other materials used for functions.

As the combustible material started burning, the fire began spreading fast and the whole area was enveloped in smoke.

Even as the fire-fighting personnel were struggling to control it, the blaze spread to Ganesh Towers, the next building, and also the office of "Siasat," the Urdu newspaper.

At this point, a few firemen, some civilians and the Joint Director of Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services, B.G. Chengappa, climbed Ganesh Towers.

"As we were moving the fire became strong and we could not see ahead and were trapped in the glass covered building," said Gabbar, a civilian.

All of them came out by breaking open the glass and using a ladder.

There were reports of several computers and other instruments being destroyed in Ganesh Towers.

As the fire-fighting exercise was on, the police were engaged in diverting the traffic from and leading to Commercial Street.

The traffic was diverted near ICICI bank ATM counter on Lady Curzon Road and Shivajinagar Main Road junction and also near Medinova Hospital. The fire services personnel had a problem communicating with each other because of the yelling crowd and the sirens. They had to use artificial lights as most of the Shivajinagar area went without power.