An overheated car silencer is said to be the probable cause of a fire at a parking lot near the venue of Aero India 2019 in Bengaluru on Saturday, 23 February, the defence spokesperson said.
About 273 cars were gutted, and 73 were damaged in the fire, which broke out at the P5 parking lot near the Yelahanka air force station around noon.
Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman visited the location of the fire on Sunday morning, 24 February. During a briefing, senior Indian Air Force officers told her that an overheated silencer could be the cause of the fire.
According to an official statement, the P5 parking lot had close to 3,000 cars when the fire started. "Some cars were broke opened, even when they had started burning. Then these cars were pushed out of the fire area to create an artificial break in the fire. 77 vehicles were broken open, of which 16 were already on fire to an extent," the statement read.
Strong winds measuring over 30 kmph spread the fire to a larger area. According to a spokesperson, 13 fire tenders, 7 water bowsers, 33 mobile mist vehicles and 6 crash fire tenders of the IAF were deployed to douse the fire within 45 minutes.
3,000 litres of foam was also used to douse the blaze.
Prashant Dixit from the RMB event management firm, which was responsible for deputing manpower for parking and ease of traffic congestion, said 45 employees were stationed at the parking lot.
“They had done their jobs by ensuring vehicles were neatly parked and there was enough space for fire tenders to move around. But clearing of dried, overgrown grass within the parking lot – which is believed to have aggravated the fire – was not their responsibility,” he told reporters.
BJP Blames State Govt
The BJP in Karnataka has blamed the state government for the fire that gutted about 300 cars at the venue of Aero India show.
"When terrorist activities are increasing in the country, why did the state government not take any safety measures?" State BJP Chief B S Yeddyurappa asked.
Noting that the incident caused great loss to those who had come in their vehicles to witness the show, the BJP leader said the responsibility to make peripheral arrangements and safety measures rests with the state government whereas the Defence ministry was responsible only for organising the show.
Seeking to know why no fire tenders were parked at the spot as a precautionary measure, Yeddyurappa said, "A high-level inquiry should be ordered into the incident to find out the truth and who all were responsible for it."
(With inputs from PTI)
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