Bengaluru: 300 cars gutted at Aero parking lot

A major fire swept through the parking area of the Aero India event at the Yelahanka Air Force, Bengaluru, gutting around 300 cars on Saturday.

No casualties were reported in the blaze suspected to have been caused by dry grass fire and heavy winds. The parking area is “far away” from the air force station.

The 12th edition of the five-day air show went on unaffected by the fire, which came four days after two jets of Indian Air Force’s aerobatic team Surya Kiran crashed, killing a pilot a day before the opening of the event.

“The scheduled morning aerobatic display was over before the fire broke out at around noon,” Defence PRO H L Guruprasad said.

The events slated for Sunday, the final day, would go ahead as planned, he said.

A blanket of thick black smoke engulfed the area causing panic among locals and visitors to the Aero India event.