High-rise fire in City kills 9

Six jump in panic from seventh floor

The fire, triggered by a cable short circuit, engulfed Carlton Towers (SI Properties) near the Domlur flyover, trapping over 150 people.

More than six people jumped in panic from the seventh floor. Two of them died instantly.

Five others were brought dead to Manipal Hospital, while two more succumbed to their injuries later.

Trouble started at 4:10 pm when a thick smoke was first noticed in the “A” wing of the building.

The smoke emanating from the cable duct in the second floor soon engulfed the entire area, forcing many to jump through the windows. The building houses several offices and commercial establishments.

The dead were later identified as R Savitha (30), senior relationship manager with Religare Macquaria company; Benzi Kumar (29), administrator at Equis International Real Estate; Rajesh Subramanya (40), capital adviser, Chesfe group; Surabhi Joshi (28), business development manager, JDA software; Sunil Iyer (31),  sales manager, JDA software; Fiyaz Pasha; Siddarth Padam (35), a resident of Koramangala; Akhil Uday (23), analyst with Chesapeake group; and Purohit Madan Singh (30), insurance adviser, Religare Macquaria.

Many people ran helter-skelter when they noticed the smoke and rushed to the lift. Some took the stairs to the terrace. Since the entire area was dark, a virtual stampede ensued. Confusion worse confounded when the power supply was disrupted, jamming both lifts.

Sreenivas Rao, chief of Equis International, housed on the seventh floor of the building, told Deccan Herald: “While I was about to take the lift, I got a call from my staff that they were trapped. We decided to stay put in the corner of the building until the fire personnel reached  them.”

In their attempt to escape, many tried to jump through the windows. One of the company’s employees, Benzi Kumar (30), had a fatal fall. Initially, many tried to escape. Later, they all got together and decided to wait for the fire brigade. “The only consolation was that we managed to save more than 50 lives,” said Rao.

The fire brigade said the building lacked safety norms. None of the supporting staff had any idea about the emergency exits. They also didn’t know about the sprinkler spots, fire safety valves and staircase exits.

The peak hour rush added more chaos to the drama, leading to a major traffic jam on Old Airport Road, particularly Domlur Flyover Junction and arterial roads leading to Koramangala, Command Hospital and Thippasandra.

Later, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa announced an ex-gratia payment of Rs 2 lakh each to the families of the deceased and Rs 50,000 each to the injured. The government will also bear the medical expenses of the injured.

Home Minister V S Acharya said a comprehensive investigation has been ordered into the incident. “The police and the fire department have been directed to submit the report at the earliest,” he said.

The Jeevan Bima Nagar police have booked a case of negligence, culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and two cases under IPC 337 and 335. However, when asked who the owners of the building were, the DCP (East) said: “We are in the process of zeroing in on the owners and they will be brought to book.”

Raising questions on the fire safety standards at Calrton Towers, the Fire Department cited illegal hoardings, a canteen and other unauthorised constructions, including building pillars encroaching the space, and lack of mock fire drills.

The National Code of Buildings in India 2005 (NCBI) mentions about a proper and continuous means of egress (a pathway to safety) as one of the foremost precautions to be taken. In this case, it seemed to be totally lacking.

The NCBI rules also stresses the need for a “semi-pressurised” zone between the room and staircase along with proper “roof exits” in place accessible from the ground and is adequately cut off from the staircases in the building.