A massive fire at Satpura Bhawan in Bhopal, housing government offices, was finally doused after over 13 hours of firefighting. The blaze started on Monday evening and was extinguished by Tuesday morning. No casualties were reported as officials safely evacuated everyone before the fire spread.
"The fire has been brought under control. All agencies including CISF and Army came together to douse the fire and it has been controlled," said Ashish Singh, District Collector, Bhopal, as reported by ANI.
The fire broke out at approximately 4:00 pm on Monday on the third floor of the office building housing the Tribal Welfare Department. The cause is believed to be a short circuit in the AC, but an inquiry will be conducted to determine the exact reason. Fortunately, all department staff and officers were safely evacuated, avoiding any casualties.
Calling it an unfortunate incident, Madhya Pradesh Health Minister Prabhuram Chaudhary said that an inquiry will be conducted into the incident.
"It is an unfortunate incident. The administration is engaged in dousing the fire. CM also spoke with PM and all efforts are being made. A high-level inquiry will be conducted into the incident," he said.
After a fire broke out on the third floor of a building, it quickly spread up to the sixth floor. Fire tenders were immediately dispatched to the scene to extinguish the flames. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan contacted Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, requesting assistance from the Air Force. He also spoke to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, informing him of the situation and seeking necessary aid. Following the Defence Minister's instructions, IAF's AN 32 and Mi-15 aircraft were dispatched to Bhopal for firefighting operations.
CM Chouhan also spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi over a phone call and informed him about the fire incident.
(With inputs from agencies)
