Indore: An employee died due to burns after a massive fire broke out in a licensed liquor shop and ahata (a place where people can consume liquor) on MR 10 Road on Sunday morning. The fire spread fast and employee who was asleep could not escape. The police have sent the body for autopsy and started an investigation. Goods including shop furniture, liquor worth Rs 80 lakh were gutted.
The incident took place at shop of Ashirwad Group at MR-10 near Chandragupta Mourya Square at 8.40 am. Local inhabitants spotted heavy smoke and flames from the liquor shop and made futile efforts to douse flames as it spread to adjoining shop and dhaba. On receiving information, fire fighters arrived and a JCB was called to remove tin shade for extinguishing fire.
Sub inspector from Hira Nagar police station Jagdish Malviya said fire fighters and police spotted charred body. After extinguishing flames, the body was taken out. The deceased has been identified as 27-year-old Chetan, a resident of Khargone. He was sleeping in ahata when fire broke out and he could not escape from there.
According to Malviya, Chetan and his colleague Sunil were sleeping in ahata as usual. Sunil woke up before the fire incident and went out for some work when the fire broke out. During the incident, he reached there and identified Chetan. The flames also reached godown where liquor was stored. The police are investigating whether the fire extinguishers and other safety measures were used by liquor shop owner. The fire fighters had to use six tankers of water and battle for four hours to douse fire.