Accidental fire, false alarm sends Varthur residents into panic

Panic spread among residents of Varthur and surrounding areas on Tuesday afternoon as an accidental fire in an open ground triggered a false alarm about the lake going up in flames once again.

Following social media posts suggesting that the fire was on the Varthur lakebed, DCP (Whitefield Division) M N Anucheth clarified that the flames were actually engulfing the dry grass in an open area next to the Prestige Lakeview apartments.

Fire and emergency officials said the blaze began at 1.15 pm and smoke surrounded the place soon. Residents took videos of the smoke on their mobile phones and posted it on social media, prompting the chief secretary to call senior police officials and ask about the incident.

Two fire tenders doused the flames by beating the grass and discharging water. The blaze was put out in 30 minutes with just half a tank of water, regional fire officer Ravi Kumar said.

A fire official said the blaze could have been triggered by a passerby throwing a burning cigarette bud or beedi in the open land.