Fire at multi-storeyed building in Koramangala; 3 injured, no casualties

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru: A person sustained severe injuries after jumping from the fourth floor of a commercial building which got engulfed in a massive fire on Wednesday.

The fire broke out around 12 pm at a popular hookah bar and cafe, Mudpipe, in Koramangala a few meters away from the Forum Mall. Local authorities confirmed that no casualties were reported during the incident.

The multi-storeyed KDP building also has a 'Cult Fit' gym centre and a 'NEXA' car showroom in the floors below the cafe. According to eye-witnesses from the spot, around four to five explosions were heard after which they noticed thick plumes of smoke followed by a massive fire emanating from the fourth floor of the building.

Speaking to News Trail, Shobit Kumaraswamy, manager of the car showroom, said that as we came out of the premises, the fire had already spread from the top floor until the second floor.

On the third floor of the building, there was also an institute. However there were no students at the time of the incident. Sandesh Kumar, another eye-witness said that they noticed a person on the top of the building trying to escape the flames.

"He jumped from the terrace of the building and fell on some trees before hitting the ground. He was immediately shifted to a hospital," he said.

The man who jumped from the building was identified as Prem Singh Saud, 30, one of the staff working for Mudpipe Cafe. He was shifted to KG Hospital in Tilak Nagar.

As he had sustained severe injuries, there was a chance of him being shifted to NIMHANS for further treatment, a police official said. Two others also sustained burn injuries and were taken to hospital.

The sources said that the Cafe normally opens at 1 pm and a major human tragedy was averted as the fire broke out before that.

"Normally, there would be at least 50 customers around lunch time, apart from the staff. Luckily, some of the staffers had still not turned up for work today," said Shobit.

It was learnt that approximately ten staff members managed to escape unharmed through an emergency exit. However Prem Singh was trapped inside after which he went up to the terrace.

According to Shobit, five two-wheelers belonging to the staff and a new car that was to be delivered to a customer were damaged in the mishap.

"It took nearly one hour for the fire officials to reach the spot," Sandesh Kumar added. T he police however reached the spot within minutes and helped a few people to evacuate the premises. Eight fire tenders including two water bowsers, five tankers and an aerial ladder platform (ALP) were pressed into action. The police suspected that a short-circuit in the electrical system of the Cafe might have caused the fire leading to one LPG cylinder to explode.

"So far it is suspected that a gas leakage in one of the cylinders might have caused the other four cylinders to explode. However the exact cause can be ascertained only after a detailed inspection," said a policeman.

Additional Commissioner of Police, East Zone, Raman Gupta visited the spot along with jurisdictional police and other personnel. Later, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), State Fire and Emergency Services, P Harishekaran, also reached the spot.

"We have been informed that there were around 15 LPG cylinders stored on the terrace and the fire was caused after one of the cylinders began to leak and then exploded. Four cylinders exploded one after the other causing massive fire," he said.

Meanwhile, the authorities have subsequently initiated legal action against the owner of Mudpipe Cafe, seeking accountability for the tragic incident.