“I didn’t know what was going on. As soon as I saw the smoke I, along with other staff members, ran down from the 16th floor,” said Shivanna, who works in the office of the Medical Officer, BBMP (East Zone). He and hundreds of other employees working in the 24-storey building ran down within a few minutes when they saw smoke coming out in the first floor.

As soon as the fire broke out, power supply was stopped. Lifts were not working. Staff members had no other way than to climb down the stairs. “All of us ran down within a few minutes. The entire staff panicked,” Shivanna said.

Those who visited the building for shopping and availing services were also caught unawares by the fire. Mahadevappa, a senior citizen had come to the BangaloreOne centre to get his khata done for his property in Ulsoor. “I was shocked  when all the lights went off. Within a few minutes, I saw people running down. I also came out. Thick smoke was coming out of a cloth shop in the first floor. Within a few minutes, everybody in the building were out,” he said.

Venkataswamy, a fire service personnel, sustained injuries after glass pieces pierced his leg. Another fireman was given medical attention after he complained of suffocation from smoke. Shredded glass and burnt materials were spotted across the building premises.

Traffic diversions
The fire at the Public Utility Building on M G Road brought traffic to a halt for over three hours. Vehicles coming from Airport Road and Ulsoor were diverted from Mayo Hall towards Residency Road, while those from Kasturba Road and Shivajinagar were diverted on to Cubbon Road.

Traffic on arterial roads around M G Road was also thrown out of gear. With around 15 fire tenders in position and hordes of firemen and policemen at work, the road was bustling with activity. Hundreds of passersby — including those who parked vehicles on the roadside — watched the action. Many were also seen capturing the fire on their mobile phone cameras.

GUARDS GO LOOTING
When the shop-owners affected by the fire at the Public Utility Building were shifting whatever was left in their shops, a couple of security guards and others were busy shifting their loot. They were seen throwing shirts and other dress materials from the first floor, that were collected by their associates downstairs.
“They’ve been doing this since evening, after the policemen and firemen left the spot,” said the owner of a shop, that was not hit by the fire. The first floor of the building houses at least five textile shops.
Arvind Mehta, who owns Dimple, said he would be able to ascertain his actual losses only by Friday. A KSI employee said clothes were being shifted to the ground floor unit, due to “huge” damages on the first floor.