Fire guts 300 cars hour after Surya Kiran lifted spirits with return

BENGALURU: A huge accidental fire that spread across the public parking lot near Gate number 5 of Yelahanka Air Force Station — hosting Aero India 2019— gutted 300 cars as per fire department, and 150 as per show organisers, more than an hour after Surya Kiran Aerobatic Team (SKAT) flew for the first time since two of its aircraft collided and crashed last Tuesday.

The spirit that SKAT had raised in the morning was dampened temporarily by the incident at 11.55am, making way for anxiety and confusion. Emotions ran high too, with several people worried about their vehicles, while some didn’t know where they had parked theirs.

But the fire itself was well away from the actual venue of the show, on the other side of Ballari Road, thus not compromising overall safety. “The fire was brought under control by deploying more than 12 fire fighting vehicles. The cause of the fire was not immediately known,” an official statement issued here read. It took emergencies rescue and fire department personnel more than two hours to douse the fire.

“Some drivers initially tried breaking the window glass and moving the cars by undoing the hand brakes. About 10 to 12 cars were saved but the pace at which the fire spread made it impossible for it to be stopped immediately,” a CISF personnel from the intelligence team, told TOI.

All available fire fighting services, Rapid Action Force and NDRF teams were immediately mobilised. The Indian Air Force (IAF) immediately launched one helicopter for aerial assessment, the helicopter assisted by providing effective directions to fight the fire.



The fire department officially said: “Grass fire spread to some vehicles parked near Gate 5.” Although even the fire department is yet to officially determine the cause of the fire, there are two theories being probed: That an unextinguished cigarette butt may have caused it, or that, a short circuit in one of the cars led to the fire.

Officials and standersby said that the second car that caught fire was powered by CNG and that it exploded amplifying the spread of fire.



Earlier in the day, the SKAT took to the skies in a seven-aircraft formation, and flew for 15 minutes to loud applause. Late evening, IAF spokesperson Group Captain Anupam Banerjee said that the show would go on Sunday, and that the public must not heed to rumours about its cancellation.

All such rumour came from outside the venue, and multiple officials TOI spoke with also reiterated Banerjee’s statement.



Smoke enveloped sky, emotions ran high, but the show went on

Black smoke enveloped a portion of Yelahanka Air Force Station on the far right, minutes after an accidental fire around noon spread indiscriminately. Given the nature of the show, curious visitors at the main venue, far away from the fire, suspected a plane crash, even as officials allayed fears.

Tens of people began rushing towards the billowing smoke, little worried and more curious. Within minutes of the incident, it became clear that dry grass at the parking lot had caught fire and was spreading. “IF the cars didn’t catch fire, the situation could have been under control,” an official said.

In fact, a minor fire had broken out at the same parking lot on Thursday, and was brought under control. “It was just a grass fire,” the organisers had said, brushing aside concerns.

On Saturday, the fire broke even as the morning flying display was going on. And, the smoke became thicker when badminton star PV Sindhu took to the skies in a Tejas.



As the news spread across the air station—with more people checking the phones after the flying display—concern about their vehicles rented the air. Women were found crying, men scampering across the venue to find the right official to get information was common sight.

“Is the P5 area OK? Where is the fire? How do we get to our cars,” one woman, who was accompanied by two of her children asked an IAF police personnel.

Another man was found complaining to a BSF constable who had one of the exits from the main venue secured, not allowing people to pass by. “Will you ensure my car is OK, I have all my relevant documents there, which are crucial to claim insurance,” the middle-aged man said.

There were tens of such cases, several even losing their cool and getting into verbal fights with officials. “The problem was that people were unwilling to believe us when we said that all areas other than P5 were fine. They had to see for themselves, but letting so many people out and allowing them inside again would have led to logistical issues so far as security arrangements were concerned,” a CISF official told TOI.

By 12.45pm, the message became more clear with multiple messages and tweets from the fire department and the organisers of Aero India. Cars belonging to more than 90% of the visitors—the organisers couldn’t immediately confirm the actual footfall—remained safe.

“Details of damage to vehicles is being ascertained. Afternoon air display continued on time. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of fire,” an official statement read.

By lunch time, the venue regained normalcy, even as drama prevailed at the fire site. The food courts were full, stalls had hundreds of people getting in and out, and the afternoon display began at 1.48pm, 12 minutes earlier than the start time scheduled for flying display.

By around 2pm the viewing area was full of people, some taking shelter under plane wings, some hiding behind stalls, but most of them trying to capture flying planes on their mobile cameras.

“The MoD has requested the Department of Financial Services (DFS) to open a special insurance claim cell to facilitate speedy claims for affected people in the fire incident,” Ajay Kumar, secretary defence-production said, while the Karnataka transport department has opened a special centre to assist in respect of documents pertaining to Driving Licence and Vehicle Registration.

“The centre will be at the Yelahanka RTO, which will also be open on Sunday. People can get assistance by calling: 080-29729908/29729909/mobile: 9449864050,” Transport Commissioner VP Ikkeri said.