Bhubaneswar: One 28 year-old worker died while valuables worth lakhs were gutted following a devastating fire outbreak at Maa Tarini Bastralaya, a renowned garment warehouse in Bhubaneswar late on Wednesday night. 

While many persons feared trapped in the building were rescued by fire personnel, one of the victims Rakesh Sahu was rushed to Capital Hospital immediately in a critical state. Sahu, who hailed from Delanga in Puri district, was a salesman at the shop. He succumbed to burn injuries during treatment.

The godown, located at Kalpana square in the State Capital, suffered extensive damage as the flames spread quickly across the two-storey commercial structure. 

The fire was reported from the second floor of the establishment at around 10 pm after the shop was shut down. Locals noticed a plume of smoke emanating from the shop and promptly informed the Odisha Fire and Emergency Service personnel who immediately arrived on the scene. Around five fire engines were deployed to contain the blaze. Sources said assets worth lakhs including clothing items, documents and other valuables were reduced to ashes.

While the extent of damage and cause of the fire are yet to be determined, preliminary reports indicated that a computer short circuit triggered the inferno. 

Sources said the commercial structure was lacking basic fire safety measures and the authorities were repeatedly ignoring notices from the Fire Department, which led to the mishap.

An investigation has been initiated to probe the exact cause of fire.

 

 

 

 

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