Bengaluru: A major fire broke out at a plastic warehouse in Bengaluru’s Nayandahalli under the jurisdiction of the Byatarayanapura Police Station on Thursday morning, May 14, after a suspected short circuit, destroying scrap materials worth several lakhs of rupees.
According to police, the warehouse belonged to Kundan, a businessman originally from Tamil Nadu, who had been operating the scrap storage facility for the past two years. The incident occurred at around 8 am when a short circuit allegedly triggered the blaze inside the godown.
Officials said the warehouse stored large quantities of second-hand Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic materials near the banks of the Vrishabhavathi canal. Due to the highly inflammable nature of the plastic scrap, the fire spread rapidly and engulfed the entire premises within minutes.
Fortunately, no workers or staff were present inside the warehouse when the fire broke out, and no casualties or injuries were reported.
Warehouse owner left after news of son’s suicide
After receiving information about the incident, firefighters rushed to the spot with three fire tenders and carried out an extensive operation for three to four hours before bringing the blaze under control.
Police said thick smoke covered the surrounding area because of the large quantity of burning plastic materials. The flames also spread to a nearby warehouse where iron rods and metal drums were stored, causing damage to some of the materials there as well.
In a tragic coincidence, warehouse owner Kundan had reportedly left for Tamil Nadu earlier in the day after his son Ashok allegedly died by suicide on Tuesday, May 12. The family had travelled to attend the final rites when news of the fire reached them. Police have registered a case and initiated an investigation into the incident.
Gas cylinder explosion in Raichur
In a separate incident, a fire accident occurred at a labourers’ shed in the Mantralayam area of Raichur district on Wednesday, May 13, leading to a gas cylinder explosion and creating panic among devotees and local residents.
The shed, located near the devotees’ accommodation blocks of the Sri Raghavendra Swamy Mutt, was being used by labourers engaged in construction and tile work for the mutt premises.
Preliminary reports suggested that extreme heat and a possible short circuit may have caused the fire, which later led to the explosion of a cooking gas cylinder kept inside the shed.
The loud explosion startled devotees staying nearby. Fire and emergency personnel, along with Mantralayam police, rushed to the location and managed to extinguish the fire in time.
Authorities also safely removed two additional cylinders from the shed, preventing a larger disaster. Further investigation into the incident is underway.
