Fire breaks out at rotating restaurant in Panchkula, no casualty

Panchkula, March 31

A major fire broke out at Haryana’s only rotating eatery, Aasma Bar and Restaurant, located on the fourth floor of a building in Amravati Enclave on the Kalka-Zirakpur highway here this morning.

Only five-six employees were present at the restaurant at the time of the incident. They immediately came out and also evacuated people staying in a hotel downstairs.

The false ceiling and some other items in the restaurant, situated at a height of around 33 metre (108 feet), high were burnt in the fire. The smoke was visible from a long distance and people were seen making videos on their mobile phones from the highway.

The fire broke out around 9.30 am. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot on receiving information. Due to the high altitude of the eatery, it was difficult to control the blaze. Even using a hydraulic machine could not make water reach the flames properly. Fire Department employees controlled the blaze by running the fire extinguishing system installed in the restaurant. It took 45 minutes to control the fire.

The police reached the spot and took stock of the damage.

Commuters on the NH-22 stopped on seeing plumes of thick black smoke emerging from the high-rise restaurant. Many people recorded the incident on their phones and uploaded it on the social media.

Mayor Kulbhushan Goyal, Managing Director of Amravati Enclave, too reached the spot. He said there was a sudden fire in the kitchen of the restaurant this morning due to a short circuit. The fire did not cause much damage, but the false ceiling and kitchen items were burnt. Chairs, tables and other furniture items were secured in the restaurant, he added.

Height hindrance in firefighting

• The fire broke out at kitchen of Aasma Bar and Restaurant around 9.30 am
• Due to high altitude of eatery, fire team found it difficult to control blaze
• Even using a hydraulic machine could not make water reach the flames properly
• Fire staff controlled the blaze by running fire extinguishing system installed in restaurant