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At least two people were killed and three others are feared trapped after a massive fire broke out in a four-storey commercial-cum-residential building at Nagarthapet in central Bengaluru during the early hours of Saturday, August 16.
The blaze started in a plastic mat warehouse located on the ground floor of the building. The fire quickly spread upward, engulfing the structure. The deceased include Madan Kumar, a resident of the building and a native of Rajasthan. His body, along with that of another victim, has been shifted to Victoria Hospital.
Fire and Emergency Services received the distress call around 3.15 am and deployed at least seven fire tenders and five water bowsers to the spot. Firefighters wearing oxygen masks worked for hours to bring the flames under control and continue to search for those feared trapped inside.
The building housed the warehouse on the first two floors, while Madan Kumar lived with his wife and two children on the third floor. Another room was located on the fourth floor. Police said Madan Kumar’s family members and three workers were trapped during the blaze, and rescue efforts are still underway.
Senior officials, including DCP (Central) oversaw the operation. While a short circuit is suspected to have triggered the fire, officials have not ruled out the possibility of a cylinder blast.
The incident comes just a day after a suspected cylinder explosion in Chinnayanapalya, Wilson Garden, left an eight-year-old boy dead and nine others injured, with several houses collapsing due to the impact.