Bangalore building on fire, has no clearances (Second Lead)

BANGALORE - A fire broke out Monday afternoon on the terrace of the five-storey Gold Towers, housing offices and a popular night club, in the heart of Bangalore. No casualties were reported in the fire, which was doused within an hour, officials said.

Officials said the building on Residency Road did not have a clearance, required for commercial complexes, from the state fire services.

There were no casualties in the fire on the terrace of the building, D.C.Chengappa, director of fire services, told IANS.

A temporary shed was gutted in the fire which is believed to have been caused by a ‘homa’ (a ritual offering to Hindu fire god Agni) being conducted there, he said. The ritual was organised by the night club, police said.

“The building (owners) had not obtained a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire services,” Chengappa said. An NOC from the fire services is required for occupying commercial complexes, and is issued after assessing fire safety measures in place.

Chengappa said his department cannot take any action against owners/occupants of Gold Towers as the existing laws did not empower the fire services. Bangalore police, however, said they will investigate the incident and take action against the owners.

“The fire occurred between 1.45-2 p.m. in the shed on the roof of Gold Towers. No casualties have been reported,” Deputy Commissioner of Police G. Ramesh told reporters.

Fourteen fire tenders were deployed to douse the blaze as fire and police department did not wantn to take any chance in the wake of the Feb 23 fire in Carlton Towers, a high-rise in the city, in which nine people were killed.

Residency Road, about five km from Vidhana Soudha (the state legislature) is one of the busy avenues in Bangalore central business district. Upscale hotels, commercial complexes and several sought after schools are in the area.