The fire and emergency services on Monday evacuated a residential area in Govindapura near Kadugondanahalli, after barrels containing an inflammable substance—probably white kerosene — kept at an illegal storage dump there had caught fire.
No loss of life or injuries was reported. Witnesses said a blast preceded the fire. The cause of the explosion that led to the fire was not immediately known.
The fire and emergency services department ordered the evacuation of the area surrounding the depot, fearing more blasts.
The barrels caught fire around 4.30 pm, sending plumes of smoke up into the evening sky. Residents informed the fire services, who rushed three fire tenders from the Hebbal Fire Station.
However, the three fire tenders were inadequate as the blaze raged. More equipment was brought in and the fire was partially brought under control after an hour. The fire and smoke could be seen from as far as 4km away.
Sanitation lines and plastic water tanks of the neighbouring houses melted in the heat generated by the fire. Minor damages to a few houses were also reported.
The fire department felt that each barrel contained kerosene worth Rs2,000, and pegged the total loss at Rs1.25 lakh.
Defending their decision to evacuate the area, divisional fire officer Narayanaswami said the primary concern was to ensure the safety of the residents.
“This is a residential area. After evacuating the area, we started extinguishing the fire. We were able to bring the blaze under control after almost an hour. But by then, the temperature had risen to a high level, which could have caused the remaining barrels to catch fire. So we had to continue pumping water for another two hours to cool down the fuel,” he said.
The fire officer suspected that the substance was white kerosene. “It is illegal to stock white kerosene, especially in residential areas. The local police will have to conduct an investigation,” he said.
Police said they had taken up the probe and added that the owner of the plot, where the barrels were kept, was absconding. Police gave his name as Amir.
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