Furniture worth Rs 5 crore gutted in Malleswaram fire

Bengaluru: A massive fire on Friday morning gutted a furniture store on Pipeline Road in Malleswaram, destroying goods worth Rs 5 crore, according to the police.

No casualties were reported despite a close call involving 10 workers who were sleeping inside the shop when the fire broke out. The blaze, suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit, was reported around 2.30 am. Flames from the furniture store quickly spread to three adjacent houses, causing further damage, a Vyalikaval police officer said.

Thirteen fire tenders rushed to the scene and battled the blaze for hours, finally bringing it under control by 5.30 am.

Dinesh Gundu Rao, Minister of Health and Family Welfare, who is also the local MLA, visited the spot to take stock of the situation.

The Vyalikaval police have registered a case, and an investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause of the fire and the extent of the damage.