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Showroom gutted in Mohali
No one was present on premises when fire erupted in basement of Vishal Mega Mart in Phase 5 market in morning
A fire broke out in the basement of Vishal Mega Mart in the busy Phase 5 market on Saturday morning.
Though no one was injured, the charred goods kept smouldering and smoke kept billowing out of the building till late at night, exposing violations and poor implementation of fire-safety norms in the heart of Mohali.
The fire, suspected to be triggered by a short-circuit around 6am, came to light two hours later when some employees opened the shutters to clean the showroom. They found smoke arising from the basement, and immediately informed the store manager, Jatinder, who in turn alerted the fire brigade and police.
The multi-retail store is situated on the ground floor and basement of the commercial building, which also houses eateries and a salon on upper floors. Two jewellery stores are located adjacent to the showroom. All commercial operations were suspended for the day in these establishments as firemen tried to douse the blaze, which also spread to the ground floor around 5:30pm.
“The stock kept in the basement and the ground floor of the showroom was gutted in the fire, but the management is yet to ascertain the total losses,” said Aashika Jain, officiating deputy commissioner, Mohali.
KEPT SMOULDERING
Fire officer Mohan Lal Verma said the building management was recently issued a notice to rectify various violations, “but they failed to take corrective measures”.
The fire started in the basement, which houses sections of children, men and women garments besides soft toys. Cartons of ghee were also stocked in one corner, which added fuel to the fire.
Verma said there was no way to enter the basement. The goods kept in the showroom as well as basement were beyond the storage capacity, and even the staircase was used to store goods, leaving only a narrow space. The entire basement was filled with smoke, which made it difficult to enter the building or even ascertain the extent of blaze.
“The fire kept simmering owing to clothes as well as soft toys and ghee, and kept erupting again and again,” said a firefighter.
In all, 20 fire tenders from Mohali and Chandigarh were pressed into service, but when they failed to bring the situation under control, a National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) team was called in from Pinjore.
To let the smoke escape from the basement, it was decided to dig a hole on the rear of the showroom with help of a JCB machine and cutters.
The firemen finally gained access around 1:30pm, and used breathing apparatus to enter the building. However, they could hardly see anything even after reaching the basement.
Initially, it was raining, which kept the fire from spreading further. However, amid windy weather, as the smouldering goods in the basement came in contact with air, the fire spread to the ground floor around 5:30pm.
It was then that the local administration sought the help of Indian Air Force fire tenders. Operations were on till the time of filing of this report.
STRICT ACTION PLANNED
“Prime facie it is a case of sheer negligence on the part of the Vishal Mega Mart management, as there was no fire-fighting system in place,” said Mohali subdivisional magistrate Jagdeep Sehgal. “We will be issuing another notice besides directions to take action against the management for putting lives at risk.”
A fire audit report submitted to the deputy commissioner in September 2019 had pointed out that there are 500-odd premises that are not complying with fire-safety norms in Mohali district.
Of these, the Mohali city houses 200-odd violators, primarily commercial establishments, such as factories, coaching centres and restaurants. Violations included failure to maintain proper fire arrangements or obtain no-objection certificates (NOCs) from the area fire department. Notices were issued as part of the ongoing survey, on the orders of the DC.
