Bengaluru: Over 20 people rescued after fire breaks out at commercial building

Bengaluru: More than 20 people were rescued after a fire broke out at the basement of a four-storey commercial building at RT Nagar here on Friday afternoon, officials said.

There was no injury or loss of life reported, they said.

A call about a fire was received at 1.50 pm, following which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot, officials said, adding that the fire was doused by 4 pm.

According to the fire department, the fire originated in the generator in the basement.

A call centre operates on the ground and first floors of the building, while the third and fourth floors are occupied by an Ayurvedic hospital.

Stocks of Ayurvedic medicines stored at the basement and nearly 25 vehicles parked there also caught fire and were completely gutted. The impact of the fire was such that smoke engulfed the upper flowers of the building, following which those working on the third and fourth floors rushed to the terrace.

“Our team managed to rescue more than 20 people who panicked and rushed to the terrace soon after the fire broke out. While one of our teams was extinguishing the fire, the other team was engaged in rescuing people from the terrace using a ladder,” a senior fire officer said.

A preliminary inquiry suggested that a short circuit in the generator caused the fire. However, the exact cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained.