Page 9 - Fire

Coaching centre fire: ABVP protests near Kejriwal's home over negligence

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad activists protested near the official residence of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Tuesday accusing his government of being "negligent" in implementing fire safety measures at coaching centres of the city. A fire had broken out at a building housing coaching institutes in northwest Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar area on June 15. Students of coaching institutes smash windows, climbed down ropes and took the help of ladders in desperate attempts to escape the blaze. The ABVP activists staging the protest in north Delhi's Civil Lines area accused the AAP government of being "anti-students" and blamed it for "negligence" in fire safety measures across the coaching hubs in the national capital. They also demanded compensation for those injured in the Mukherjee Nagar fire incident. The agitators said that security personnel were deployed at the protest site in large numbers and extra barricades were placed there. "There has been negligence on the part of

Fire engulfs residential building in UAE's Ajman, no reports of injuries

A fire tore through a high-rise residential building in the United Arab Emirates early Tuesday before being brought under control, according to videos circulating online. There were no immediate reports of injuries from the blaze in Ajman, one of the seven emirates that makes up the UAE, which also includes the futuristic cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The footage showed a corner of the building engulfed in flames reaching from the ground level to the top, with debris falling to the street below. Ajman News, a local media outlet, later reported that the fire had been brought under control. Footage on its Instagram showed the blackened exterior of the building and firefighters on the street below. There was no immediate comment from UAE officials. The UAE has seen a number of similar fires in recent years that have been linked to flammable cladding on many of the country's ubiquitous high-rises. On New Year's Eve in 2015, a blaze raced through an upscale hotel and residential comp

BJP office gutted in Bengal's Darjeeling, supporters rush to douse fire

A BJP mandal office in West Bengal's Darjeeling district was gutted in a fire around 1.45am on Friday. The blaze in the party's office in Siliguri's Dabgram area was doused by local BJP supporters of the area with the help of a fire tender around 3am, police said. BJP's Siliguri MLA Shankar Ghosh alleged that the party had been receiving threats from various quarters to remove the unit office. He added that a thorough probe was needed to find the exact cause. An FIR was filed by the owner of the house where the party had set up the office near Surya Nagar field in ward 23. Darjeeling zilla Trinamool Congress general secretary Babul Pal said the BJP just needed a reason to do politics.

Fire at MP's Satpura Bhawan due to short circuit, finds enquiry committee

The total possible loss estimated in the preliminary investigation is Rs 24 crore, the report added

Delhi HC takes cognisance of fire at coaching institute in Mukherjee Nagar

The Delhi High Court on Friday took suo motu cognisance of the fire that broke out in a coaching centre in Mukherjee Nagar area here and asked the authorities to examine the safety status of such institutes in the city. A bench of Justices Jasmeet Singh and Vikas Mahajan took note of a news report of Thursday's incident which saw students of the coaching institute smash windows and climb down ropes in desperate attempts to escape. Issuing notice in the matter, the bench asked the Delhi Fire Service Department to examine the fire safety certificate of all coaching centres in the city and asked it, as well as the Delhi Police, to state its stand. Similarly, it also asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to look into the sanctioned building plans of such establishments. Issue notice.. counsel for Delhi Police and Delhi Fire Services will place their respective stands within two weeks from today, the court said. Delhi government standing counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi said the safet

Manipur violence: Security forces clash with mob, two houses set on fire

At least two houses were set on fire by a mob here on Thursday afternoon a day after an attack in the Khamenlok area left nine people dead and injured ten others, officials said. Security forces which tried to quell the mob were forced to use force and fired tear gas shells at the mob at New Checkon in Imphal, they added. This happened as the army and Assam Rifles intensified their area domination operations in the aftermath of the recent spurt in violence in the strife-torn state of Manipur. Army and Assam Rifles columns intensified patrolling, taking down barriers wherever they had been created. An Army tweet said, Enhanced Area Domination Operations by Army and Assam Rifles are being undertaken in the aftermath of the recent spurt in violence. The social media post by the Spear Corps of the Indian Army, whose operational area Manipur falls, said the domination of fringe areas and higher reaches underway by long duration self-contained columns was being enforced. The security f

Airports Authority of India begins probe into Kolkata airport fire

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has begun an investigation into the incident of fire at the Kolkata airport, officials said on Thursday. The fire broke out at the check-in area of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport around 9.12 pm on Wednesday, leading to chaos and panic among passengers, they said. West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose earlier told PTI, "Initially, it seems that some fault related to the air conditioning system caused the fire." The exact reason behind it will be known after an investigation, he had said A probe has been started into the incident of fire, an AAI spokesperson said. The fire was doused by 9.40 pm, and check-in service resumed at 10.25 pm, officials said. No one was injured in the mishap, they said, adding that no arriving flight was delayed.

Fire breaks out near departure gate of Kolkata airport, passengers panic

A fire broke out near a departure gate of the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport on Wednesday night, officials said. Firefighting arrangements were pressed into service to douse the blaze as panic-stricken passengers were moved to a safe place, they said. No casualty was reported. The entire area inside the airport was engulfed with thick black smoke after the fire broke out at 3C departure gate at around 9 pm. Since there was a rush of passengers, airport authorities took no chance and used their firefighters to dose it. At the moment, it is under control and the cooling process is being done, a police officer said. Officials said after an initial investigation that short circuit could be the reason for the fire.

At least 55 temporary shops gutted as fire broke out at market in Bilaspur

At least 55 temporary vegetable shops were gutted after a fire broke out at a market in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur city early Wednesday morning, police said. The incident took place at Budhwari Bazar located near the railway station but nobody was injured, said Sunil Tirkey, Station House Officer of Torwa police station. The fire was noticed in the wee hours following which fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames, he said. Budwari Bazar has 15 big concrete platforms on which some 100 temporary big and small vegetable shops stand. Most of the shops consist of only a piece of tarpaulin or fibre sheet held up by bamboo poles, the official said. The cause of the fire was not immediately known and police have launched an investigation, Tirkey said.

Huge fire at Madhya Pradesh building, air force choppers called in

Huge fire erupted in 6-storey MP govt building in Bhopal. No casualties, PM assures Central assistance

Fire in multi-storey building in Ghaziabad kills 2; 9 rescued: Officials

Two women, including a senior citizen, were killed in a fire at a multi-storey building here in Uttar Pradesh, while nine others were rescued Monday morning, officials said. All the 11 people, who were trapped in the fire, belonged to the same family. The fire broke out around 5.30 am, they said. One of the deceased was 74-years-old and it is suspected that she died of asphyxiation, while the other, aged around 40, succumbed to burn injuries, a police officer, who oversaw the rescue and relief work, told PTI. "Both the women were members of the same family. They were taken to a CHC (community health centre), but did not survive. Their postmortem reports are awaited," Assistant Commissioner of Police, Loni, Rajneesh Upadhiyai said. The building belongs to a person named Satish Pal and the deceased were identified as his mother Bharto Devi and his sister Mamta, who had come to stay with them, the officer said. Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Rahul Pal said the firefighters were alerted abo

60 rescued, one injured as major fire breaks in Mumbai's Zaveri Bazar

At least 60 residents were rescued and one was injured in a major fire that broke out in a residential building in the congested Zaveri Bazar

Around 15 shanties gutted in fire in Shastri Park slum, none injured: DFS

At least 15 shanties were gutted after a fire broke out in a slum in northeast Delhi's Shastri Park area on Wednesday, Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials said. No one was reported injured. The department received a call about the fire around 12.10 pm and rushed 12 tenders to contain the blaze, said the official. According to DFS, a fire broke out in a shanty which later spread to adjoining shanties leading to cylinder blasts. "At least 15 shanties were gutted in fire which led to multiple cylinder blasts," a senior fire official said. Though the fire has been brought under control, it was very difficult to contain due to multiple cylinder blasts, said DFS Director Atul Garg.

Hostel fire that killed 6 people was arson, says New Zealand police

New Zealand police said Wednesday they believe a fire that killed at least six people in a Wellington hostel was arson and launched a homicide investigation. Police Inspector Dion Bennett said they haven't yet arrested anybody but they have a list of people they want to speak to and hope to quickly identify any suspects or persons of interest. He declined to say if they had found accelerant or other evidence of criminal behavior at the scene. Police said there had been a couch fire at the Loafers Lodge hostel about two hours before the large, fatal fire on Tuesday. They said the couch fire was not reported to emergency services at the time, and they were investigating to see if there was any link between the two fires. Bennett also told reporters there was more reconnaissance and examination to be done in some unstable parts of the four-story hostel building and his gut feeling was the death toll could rise. The homicide investigation represents a change in outlook by police, who o

Fire engulfs firecracker shops in Ahmedabad, people moved to safety

A massive fire broke out in firecracker shops located in an industrial area in Ahmedabad city of Gujarat on Wednesday, prompting officials to evacuate several people from nearby residential areas as a precautionary measure. Two fire brigade officials sustained minor injuries due to the bursting of firecrackers, officials said. Officials said thick smoke engulfed the Vikas Estate area in Bapunagar locality where the affected shops are located. Panic gripped nearby residential areas due to the intermittent bursting of crackers in the fire. More than a dozen fire tenders have been rushed to the spot, they said. "The blaze erupted in a firecracker shop before spreading to adjacent godowns. Our priority is to prevent the fire from spreading to residential areas surrounding Vikas Estate," a fire brigade official said. He said several people were evacuated from their houses as a precautionary measure even as thick smoke engulfed Bapunagar. The exact number of evacuees cannot be known ..

21 dead from wildfire in Russia's Ural Mountains; death toll may rise

The death toll from wildfires in Russia's Ural Mountains rose to 21 on Tuesday, Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing local emergency service agencies. Wildfires have raged in the Kurgan region of the Urals and in Siberia all week. A resident of western Siberia's Tyumen province died while attempting to extinguish a fire. According to local authorities, most of the deaths occurred Sunday in the Kurgan province village of Yuldus, which is located on the border between the Ural Mountains and Siberia. The death toll may increase, regional emergency service officials said. A state of emergency was introduced in the province, where more than 5,000 buildings have burned down. Fires also have engulfed thousands of hectares (acres) in Sverdlovsk province, and in Siberia's Omsk and Tyumen provinces. During a Monday visit to Kurgan province, Russia's emergency situations minister of Emergency Situations said settlements were no longer at risk from the blazes, though local media ..

Massive fire engulfs four shops in Malappuram, Rs 4 crore loss estimated

A massive fire engulfed a building at Kakkad near here on Sunday morning gutting at least four shops in quick succession, police said. A tyre shop, a paint shop, a vehicle accessories shop and a spare parts shop got completely burnt down in the fire which broke out at around 5 AM on Sunday morning. "As per the preliminary reports, a loss of Rs four crore is expected," police told PTI. According to the complaint, the fire began from the back area of one of the shops, where an electric scooter was kept. Police said six fire engines were rushed to the spot to contain the fire. A few nearby buildings also suffered minor damage in the incident.

General Motors recalls 40,000 medium-duty trucks to fix fire risk

General Motors is recalling certain Chevrolet Silverado medium-duty trucks for model year 2019 or later, following the discovery of a potential leak in brake fluid that could result in a fire. Potentially 40,428 vehicles could be affected. They include 4500HD, 5500HD, and 6500HD models with model years between 2019 and 2023, according to documents posted by U.S. safety regulators on Saturday. The vehicles may have a brake pressure sensor assembly that allows brake fluid to leak and cause a short circuit. That in turn increases the risk of a fire that could occur when the vehicle is either driving or parked. GM advises owners with potentially affected models to park outdoors and away from structures until the recall repair is done. Vehicles with model years before 2019 used a different design. GM said it's not aware of any injuries related to the condition.

Excessive methane emitted from mega wildfires fuels vicious cycle: Study

The amount of methane emitted by the top 20 fires in 2020 was more than seven times the average from wildfires in the previous 19 years, the study said

Beijing hospital fire death toll rises to 29 as public anger grows

Public anger quickly mounted over how such a tragedy had taken place - and at a location less than seven miles away from Tiananmen Square - along with a dearth of media reports about the events