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Three employees injured in BBMP fire critical
A fire broke out at the Quality Control Lab of the BBMP head office, located at Hudson Circle in Bengaluru, on Friday
Bengaluru
Three of the nine employees of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s (BBMP) Quality Control Wing who sustained burn injuries in the fire accident, are critical, according to the doctors at the Victoria Hospital on Sunday.
A fire broke out at the Quality Control Lab of the BBMP head office, located at Hudson Circle in Bengaluru, on Friday, that injured at least nine BBMP staff members. All the injured people were admitted to the Victoria Hospital which is affiliated to the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI).
Of the three, executive engineer Kiran (35) sustained% burns and dialysis has been done as per the advice of the nephrologist. Chief engineer Shivakumar (40) sustained 25% burn injuries while junior engineer Jyothi (26) sustained 28% burns, according to Ramesh Krishna K, BMCRI director cum dean.
“Six of them continue to be stable. They have no problem. Among the three other patients, Jyothi, has facial edema. We are giving her oxygen under pressure which is helping in maintaining her saturation levels,” he said.
“Kiran has had dialysis twice. As per the advice of our nephrologist, he needs dialysis again, since the creatinine level is high. We will do that. Shivakumar had breathing issues because of the inhalation injury,” Rama Krishna added.
The civic body has initiated an Internal Technical Enquiry (ITE), following the fire outbreak. The ongoing probe is aimed at focusing on potential quality testing errors in the bitumen that may have triggered the fire.
“The fire accident is being investigated in all angles. An internal investigation is being conducted by the BBMP led by chief engineer Prahlad. The investigation report will be submitted to the chief minister and the deputy chief minister,” BBMP chief commissioner Tushar Girinath said on Sunday.
Girinath said fire safety measures have been taken in the lab, adding that D group employees can help, but can’t do all the work themselves. “A total of nine people were injured and none of their life is under threat. BBMP will bear the medical expenses of all the injured,” he added.
An FIR in relation to the incident has been lodged at Halasuru Gate police station, based on a complaint filed by chief engineer K Prahlad, under sections 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others due to negligence) and 338 (causing grievous hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) of the Indian Penal Code. The police detained three individuals and are working to determine the exact cause of the fire. They were released on station bail on Sunday, officials said.
Meanwhile, Deputy chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Saturday said no documents were damaged in the fire. “There have been such incidents in the past where important files have disappeared. But in the Friday’s fire, no files were damaged,” Shivakumar said.
Health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Saturday said that all victims of the fire incident were in stable condition. “Everyone’s condition is stable. Although two people were initially in critical condition, they have now stabilised. We have experts on-site to assess the situation. We will delve into determining responsibility and fault, including any lapses in safety standards by BBMP, or other factors contributing to the fire. Whether the incident was accidental or due to negligence will be carefully investigated. Based on these findings, the government will proceed with necessary actions,” he said.
