UP AG office fire: Probe hints at negligence

It was also found that all floors of the building were not equipped with CCTV cameras. The fire department has included this point in its report and has mentioned that timely information about the fire may have averted the big loss.

Negligence of department officials, including security staff, could have led to fire at UP Advocate General’s office located at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Bhawan on Sunday, claim officials probing the incident.

The UP AG office building where a major fire had broken out recently. (HT File)

Different teams engaged in the investigations are preparing their reports on the basis of which further action will be taken against those responsible, they say.

Investigations so far have revealed that fire erupted at the building at some time during the midnight and it soon spread to the other floors, and was noticed only in the wee hours. The security personnel deployed there remained clueless about the fire on the upper floors of the building. The morning walkers noticed the smoke and alerted the security personnel.

It was also found that all floors of the building were not equipped with CCTV cameras. The fire department has included this point in its report and has mentioned that timely information about the fire may have averted the big loss. The fire had already engulfed three floors of the building when the fire department team reached there. It suggested that the fire spread sometime in the night.

Officials privy to the investigation said that the fire may have erupted on the sixth floor due to a short circuit. However, they said that anything clear could be said only after analyses of reports submitted by investigation teams.

It is worth mentioning that a five-member team comprising Prayagraj superintendent of police (City) Dinesh Kumar Singh, additional district magistrate (City) Madan Kumar, chief fire officer RK Pandey, additional legal remembrance (LR) (Legal Cell)-Prayagraj Radhey Mohan Srivastava and deputy director (Electrical Safety) Umesh Rai was constituted on instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to investigate in to the causes of fire and submit its report.

Moreover, teams of experts from Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) and Forensic Science Lab (FSL) have also investigated the affected floors and taken samples of charred items for investigations. Investigation teams have also recorded statements of officials of departments concerned including the electrification unit of PWD on Tuesday.