Fire near car showroom on Ballari Road halts traffic

Bengaluru: A fire near a car showroom on the service road on Ballari Road halted peak hour traffic for over 30 minutes on Friday evening.

A temporary godown-like structure near First Cars Bengaluru, a used car showroom in Byatarayanapura, caught fire around 6 pm.

As a result, airport-bound vehicles and traffic flowing in from Kodigehalli, Sahakarnagar and Hebbal came to a halt on the service road. Many vehicles were stuck on the road for at least 30 minutes as fire tenders rushed to the spot to douse the flames. However, the main Ballari Road carriageway was largely unaffected.

Blaze doused quickly

Three fire tenders — one each from High Grounds, Hebbal, and Yelahanka fire stations — were pressed into service. The fire was completely put out by 7.15 pm, said a source from the fire force present at the site.

"It was a temporary structure made of tin and plastic or tarpaulin. The owners had stored unsold Ganesha idols inside. No casualty since nobody was inside. We are yet to ascertain the cause of the fire," the source said. 

Traffic police admitted that the peak hour traffic moved at a snail's pace till the fire was put out.

A fire report has been filed at the Kodigehalli police station.