Fire breaks out at Hong Kong Bazaar in Bangalore

A fire broke in Hong Kong Bazaar in Upparpet, near Tribhuvan theatre, on Tuesday night. Preliminary investigation by fire department officials said there were no causalities. The fire broke due to a short-circuit. It broke at 9.14 pm in a perfume shop and spread to a couple of shops.

Six fire tenders from the nearest fire station on Sheshadri Road reached the spot by 9.20 pm and doused the fire.
There are more than 40 shops in the bazaar, said BK Hamppagol, deputy director of Karnataka fire and emergency services.

Though it wasn’t a major fire, inflammable alcohol in the perfume shop ensured that dense smoke engulfed the building.

“Due to the incident, the police diverted traffic in Majestic so that the fire tenders could reach on time,” said Hamppagol, adding that: “Ninety per cent of the items—lithium batteries, plastics, synthetic, fibre glass and spirits—sold here are inflammable,” he added.

Fire safety measures were not in place. There was major fire at the bazaar in 1982, said Hamppagol. The building is 25-30 years old and almost all shops have been constructed illegally, said the police. A case has been registered at Upparpet police station.