A big blaze struck in a shop-cum-residence at the upscale Jangipura area of Gwalior during late night when the air conditioners, fridge and gas cylinders were kept and repaired. The fire eventually sparked one or more powerful explosions, the number of explosions increasing to almost 20 after several blasts, reports officials.
The building, which had two floors, was home to the shop, the fire starting about midnight time information indicates. They quickly climbed, and soon flames were engulfing the shop, fortunately, the owner, Janki Prajapati, jumped out of the window with his wife and two children, making it a near catastrophe.
Initial delay in responding in the wake of the fire saw the arrival of multiple fire tenders from Dabra, Aantari, Pichhore, Gwalior and even BSF units at the spot. A search and rescue operation continues, which has been ongoing for almost five hours, with a fight to extinguish the fire still underway.
Repeated blasts shook the neighbourhood, leaving residents in panic. Gas cylinders were also brought down from homes nearby as a precaution against more explosions and deaths.
The shop owner said that the shop was equipped with fire safety facilities but fire so intense due to fridge explosion and was spreading rapidly made the use of the fire safety facilities impossible.
His eexcellency, the local MLA Suresh Rajey, met the site and voiced his strong dismay with the tardiness of the Fire Services of the Municipality. He charged negligence by the civic body, saying that if the fire tenders are there on time it will not have reached the magnitude it did in the incident. He also noted that some of the city’s fire engines were in poor condition and required reinforcements from a number of surrounding communities.