Rajasthan: Fire breaks out at City Mall in Kota; no injuries reported

A fire broke out in a plastic items store on the second floor of the City Mall in Kota on Wednesday morning, which was brought under control after a two-hour operation by the firefighters, officials said. No one was injured in the fire that broke out in the mall on Jhalawar Road within the Vigyan Nagar police station limits, triggering a brief period of panic, they said. The fire broke out in the plastic items store that is yet to be formally inaugurated around 10:30 am, when business activities in the mall were yet to start, the officials said. At least 15 fire tenders and 50-60 firefighters were pressed into service to douse the flames, which took about two hours to bring the situation under control, they said. Initial inquiry suggested that a short-circuit triggered the blaze in the store run by a Malaysia-based company, fire officer Amzad Khan said. The security guards present on the spot unsuccessfully tried to douse the flames, which soon filled the premises with smoke, Khan said. The firemen had to break the glass panels of the mall to make way to the store, he said. The mall and a coaching institute right behind had to be evacuated for safety measures, the officer added. Circle Officer at Vigyan Nagar police station, Mukesh Meena, said a case has been registered against the management for the mall under the relevant sections of law, and the matter is being probed from all angles. According to Chief Fire Officer Rakesh Vyas, the building was equipped with mandatory fire-fighting equipment, but as the flames spread rapidly, the staff present on the spot could not control them. The authorities have shut all business activities in the mall for a week, Vyas said.

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