Six-storey building goes up in flames in Amritsar

PK Jaiswar

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Amritsar, April 4

A major fire engulfed a six-storey building at posh Ranjit Avenue locality here on Monday. The shop-cum-office complex had a fast-food chain, private immigration centres, coaching centres, including an IELTS centre, and media office of a prominent vernacular daily on the top floor.

Preliminary information reveals that short-circuit and later blast in an air-conditioning compressor located at an immigration centre on the second floor caused the fire. The fire immediately spread to the upper floors of the building.

Students were studying at the coaching centre, when the fire erupted on the rear side of the building. The information spread rapidly and students were asked to rush out.

Fire Department teams were immediately rushed to the spot, while fire tenders from the Air Force Station and Khanna Paper Mills were also summoned to douse the flames.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident occurred at 1.15 pm and the fire teams controlled the blaze after over four hours’ struggle. Nevertheless, the fire tenders were still at the spot in case the fire erupts again and to ensure that the fire does not spread to neighbouring buildings.

Lovepreet Singh, Assistant Fire Officer, said around 12 fire tenders were currently involved in the operation. They were being refilled with water from nearby hotels and other buildings and we are continuously throwing water cannons, so that the fire does not spread to nearby buildings. Water cannons were being used from both — front and back — sides of the building.

There’s a fast food eating joint Burger King on the ground floor, while an IELTS coaching and immigration office runs on the first floor. The second and fourth floors, too, had immigration consultant offices.

An employee of the eating joint said the fire started from the second floor. As smoke was billowing out, an alert was sounded immediately and students studying in these centres were rushed out.

Jagtar Singh and Sahib Singh, both students, said students panicked as the news of fire engulfing the building spread.

The teachers and students were immediately evacuated out of the building. Four floors were completely gutted in the incident.

Questions are also being raised whether safety norms were followed in the building or not.

No one to operate fire-safety equipment

• Fire-safety equipment was installed at the building, but there was no trained person to operate the same, said Lovepreet Singh, AFO. “People tried dousing the flames with fire extinguishers, but it spread so fast that they had to recede,” he said
• The fire was controlled after four hours of struggle, but the fire tenders are still stationed at the spot. Besides Fire Department fire tenders, those from the Air Force Station, Amritsar airport, Amritsar Sewa Samiti and Khanna Paper Mill were also pressed to service to extinguish the blaze
• Maximum damage was caused from second to fifth floor, whereas the ground floor housing a fast food joint, and the top floor having a media house office, were safe