Agarbathi factory goes up in flames

BANGALORE: A major fire broke out at Balaji Agarbathi factory at Kadirenahalli Cross in Padmanabhanagar on Tuesday. According to Fire personnel, the residents in the vicinity of the factory noticed fire in the factory at around 4 am and informed the police and Fire Department.As chemicals and highly inflammable substances were kept inside the factory, the fire was intense and it spread to the entire building in little time.As there is also a warehouse within the building, where raw materials used for incense sticks and plastic items were stored, the fire spread vigorously. More than 20 fire tenders and around 80 fire personnel were pressed into service to douse the fire. However, as the fire was very intense, it took more than ten hours to bring the fire under control. Reportedly, there was no one inside the building when the fire broke out.“Though the building has basic fire extinguishers, it was of no use as nobody could enter the building due to huge fire. Even the fire personnel got entry into the building only after four hours after they started the operations. Heavy smoke, only a few entry points and poor ventilation made it tough for them to gain entry into the building and bring the fire under control. A fire personnel sustained minor injuries during the operations,” the officials informed.As a precautionary step, the residents of the adjacent buildings were advised to go out of their houses. However, there was no damage to the neighbouring buildings.Though the exact reason for the fire is not clear, it is suspected that electric short circuit could have caused the fire. The exact value of the loss due to fire is yet to be ascertained.Kumaraswamy Layout police have registered a case in this connection and are further investigating.