A day after a fire broke out at a flat in a residential complex in Electronics City, a two-storey house (ground-plus-two) in Manjunatha Nagar was gutted in a blaze around 1.30 a.m. on Thursday.
The family of three, who resided in the house, went to the terrace and jumped to an adjoining house with the help of their neighbours, said fire and emergency services personnel. They were unharmed, but three Fire and Emergency Services personnel were injured when a car parked on the premises exploded.
Escape route blocked
Ramkishore Babu, 54, who works as a business consultant, his wife, Rajashri, 49), a college lecturer, and their 18 year-old son, were sleeping on the second floor. Around 1.30 a.m., Mr. Babu woke up to shouts from neighbours. When he looked out of the window, he saw smoke billowing from the ground floor. He roused his son and wife, and they ran down downstairs in an attempt to escape.
Family of three jump from terrace to escape blaze in house
But the fire had spread to the first floor and they were unable to reach the door. With the exit cut off by the blaze, they went up to the terrace, but could not escape as the terrace was barred by a grille with a lock. They did not have the key with them, and it was too late to retrieve it.
Neighbours from the adjoining house jumped on to the terrace and broke open the grille. Through the ordeal, one of the neighbours, Srinivas, was in touch with Mr. Babu over the phone giving them information on how the fire was spreading. He, along with three other people in the neighbourhood, helped the family on to the terrace of an adjoining house.
House gutted
Within minutes, the entire house was ablaze. Apart from the car, two scooters parked inside the compound were also gutted. “My wife had been discharged from hospital on Sunday after being treated for pneumonia. She was resting in a separate room when the fire broke out,” said Mr. Babu. “My entire house was gutted with my office documents and Rajashri’s academic literature and books. But the saddest part is the injuries the three firemen sustained,” he added.
The injured fire-fighters – Harish, Rajshekhar and Muthappa – have been hospitalised for burns between 6-12%. “The fire was completely doused by 6 a.m.,” said Shivakumar, a senior fire officer.
After Fire and Emergency Services personnel put out the fire, a team from the Forensic Science Laboratory and electrical inspectors visited the spot to probe the cause of the blaze. Fire officials suspect that the UPS had short-circuited but are waiting for the report.
Recent incidents
On November 17, a fire broke out in a flat in a residential complex in Electronics City. Residents were alerted by the barking of a dog. Everyone managed to leave the premises safely.
Fortunately, no lives were lost in either of the incidents. However, in September, a senior citizen and her daughter were killed in a blaze when they were trapped in their apartment in a residential complex in Devarachikkanahalli. Despite the efforts of other family members and fire personnel, they could not be saved.
