Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Aug 16: As per a complaint filed in Mulky police station in the taluk, things worth over five lac rupees including valuables and cash were destroyed in a fire accident. Fire raged for hours at a house located adjacent to Umamaheshwara temple on Vijaya College Road, Mulky.

Chandrashekhar, working as lecturer in the government PU College at Mulky, used to stay in the above house owned by Pradeep Karnad, on rent. He had left home at 8 am to attend Independence Day celebrations at his college.

Huge fire was sighted in a portion of the house at about 9 am on Tuesday. As fire gained in fury, neighbours, with help from local residents, tried to extinguish it. But the intensity of fire increased, at which police and fire brigade were called. Firemen from the city, with the support of locals, succeeded in bringing fire under control after an effort that lasted for a few hours.

Three LPG cylinders kept inside the house, and a two-wheeler belonging to a neighbour kept there helped the fire to rage because of presence of highly combustible materials like LPG and petrol. Various documents, computer, laptop, upboards, camera, cellphone, and Rs 30,000 in cash are among the items destroyed by fire, as per a complaint filed by Chandrashekhar.

As the building is very old and wiring and other electrical equipment were out of date, preliminary guess is that electrical short circuit would have started the fire. Locals said loss would have been far less if a fire brigade was located nearby as it takes long for fire tenders to reach Mulky from the city. There is a proposal to set up a fire brigade unit in Karnad industrial area near Mulky, it is said, and people hope that it will materialize at an early date.

Officials of police and revenue departments visited the spot and noted down details. MLA, K Abhay Chandra Jain, was among those who paid a visit to the spot.