Bengaluru: There was pandemonium on MG Road Thursday morning after a blaze broke out at Navaratna Jewellers near the metro station with employees throwing out bags of gold and silver jewellery in plastic bags even as firemen fought the flames.
It was an unusual Thursday morning for commuters, shop owners, morning walkers and workers headed towards the heart of the city and a heart-wrenching day for the owner of Navaratna Jewellers, Mr. Gautham Chand Jain. The serene morning soon turned chaotic when shop owners raised an alarm on noticing a thick blanket of smoke spewing out of the three-storied complex. Traffic came to a halt at MG Road for close to two hours following the incident.
In no time, the fire had spread, gutting the entire first floor of the showroom. The security guard and other shop owners alerted the Fire Services control room at around 9:35 am after which around ten fire tenders including five water boozers with more than 50 to 60 firefighters, members of the quick response civil defence team and other staff were pressed into service.
The smoke soon engulfed the whole of MG Road. Shop owners and commuters were left wondering whether anybody was trapped inside the building. Fire officials had to break into the building as it was not open for the day. The cause of the fire is suspected to be a short-circuit, said fire force officials.
While the fire dousing operation was at its peak,, a big human chain was formed by employees, who reported to work in a bid to save the valuables. While fighting the fire, fireman Nagarju injured his left hand while he was securing the heated yellow metal. Two others, Manjunath and Cheluvamurthy too suffered injuries. The trio was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.
