Fire rages at Himalaya Mall in Ahmedabad, cool heads save the day

A major tragedy was averted after a fire broke out at the Himalaya Mall on Tuesday. No casualty was reported in the fire, which broke out in the Village Restaurant of the mall. Source said the alleged negligence of the kitchen staff of the restaurant was to be blamed for the incident.

The Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services rushed to the spot and prevented the fire from spreading further. As many as 30 firemen, two fire fighters and three tankers of water were pressed into service to control the fire. "The loss to property could be huge," said deputy chief fire officer, Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Service(AFES), Rajesh Bhatt. Nobody was injured in the incident.

The incident occurred at around 4:10 pm, when a fire broke out in the chimney of restaurant in the fourth floor of the mall.  "The fire occurred due to the ill-maintained chimney of the restaurant," Bhatt said.

General manager, Himalaya Mall, Anshu Mathur said that the as soon as the fire was noticed, the staff of the restaurant got into action and managed to control it. "Meanwhile, the maintenance staff of the mall and the fire brigade was informed of the incident. People in the restaurant and the mall were soon evacuated," he said. Many inflammable substances like paper, raw jute were present in the restaurant, but thankfully none of them caught fire.

"A major disaster was averted as the staff of the mall, the police and the fire brigade acted promptly," said senior police inspector, Vastrapur police station, BR Purohit.