Mangalore, March 28: Fire broke out at a house in Mochigalli area near Kandatpalli early on Wednesday during the heating of bitumen barrel at the shed.
According to a resident of the area, the fire was brought to control by the locals, who gathered in large number after seeing the smoke billowing from the roof.
“People flocked to the place immediately with buckets and pots filled with water and doused the fire. Initially the fire refused to extinguish and even flared up. But some people brought sand from nearby places and applied more force and the fire was eventually extinguished,” said Muneer, an eyewitness.
He also said that the fire was almost extinguished when the fire men arrived at the scene. “They forced water on to the halfburnt roof and the hearth. But the locals responded brilliantly. They were all worried that the fire would spread to other homes,” he said.
But, according to the chief of the Pandeshwar fire station, his team rushed to the spot with their vehicle immediately and doused the fire. “The fire was brought to control by five firemen with the support of the locals,” said Vasanth Kumar, the Pandeshwar fire station officer.
The incident took place at the shed belonging to Jyothi Prakash Shetty, who runs a similar business at Baikampady. The fire left a minor scar on his face as he was also involved actively in the fire-fighting mission.
The fire erupted when a barrel containing small amount of tar was being heated on a hearth at the shed belonging to Mr. Shetty.
The fire spread to the roof of the shed due to the chemical particles which spread around during the process. The wooden log beneath the roof caught fire and started spreading thick and fast.
“We got a call at 7.15 in the morning. Immediately we rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire,” said Vasanth Kumar, the Pandeshwar fire station officer.
He, however, insisted that heating of tar was not a commercial activity and was being done to paint the forecourt of the house.
“We have issued a warning after ascertaining that the owner has a license to store the barrels. He has a proper business in Baikampady and said he was a contractor. We have warned him not to resort to such things in future,” Mr. Kumar added.
When asked why did the fire brigade did not file a complaint since the incident happened at a residential area and there was a possibility of fire spreading to other houses also, Mr. Kumar said, “we have conducted a proper inspection of the area and found everything to be in order.”
There were 10 barrels in his house, among which three had only small amount of tar. So we are assuming there was no commercial activity taking place, he added.
“He (Jyothi Prkash Shetty) always indulges in such activities. The shed was built exclusively for this purpose,” said a neighbour, who refused to disclose his identity.
When contacted Mangalore North Police station, the Assistant Sub Inspector termed the incident a minor one and no complaint has been registered.
Addressing Kannadiga delegates from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other countries through a video conference, Dr Narayan also assured that necessary steps will be taken by the Karnataka government to provide free quarantine facility for those who cannot afford private quarantine in hotels or guest houses. The video conference was organised by coastaldigest.com.
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