A storage area of a mall at Arekere Gate on Bannerghatta Road was gutted when a fire broke out in the wee hours of Saturday. Around 3 a.m., police personnel, who were on patrol duty, spotted the blaze in the ground floor of South India Shopping Mall, and alerted the control room.
Seven fire tenders with a team of 30 Fire and Emergency Services personnel arrived at the spot within five minutes of receiving the alert. According to officials, it took six hours to put out the blaze. “Two fire tenders reached the spot first. Evaluating the situation, five more tenders were pressed into service. The fire was contained in time before it damaged the remaining portion of the building,” said S. Kiran Kumar, District Fire Officer, Hulimavu fire station.
Goods and furniture worth several lakhs were destroyed. “Fortunately, no casualties were reported. Barring two security guards who escaped, the mall was empty as the management had shut down operations due to the weekend curfew,” said a fire officer.
Police and fire officials suspect that a short-circuit triggered the blaze. “An expert team inspected the mall, and we are waiting for the report to ascertain the exact cause of the fire,” the police said.
