Pet dog alerts neighbours as fire breaks out in Bengaluru apartment

BENGALURU: The persistent barking of a dog averted a possible tragedy as it prompted the neighbours to check and find that a fire had broken out in its flat. The incident occurred at an apartment complex in Vasundhara Layout of Electronic City Phase-2 on Wednesday afternoon. No casualties were reported and the fire was doused before it could spread to other flats.

The mishap occurred in a flat on the first floor of the VMAKS Chalet apartment around 2.40 pm. The fire department received an alert about the incident at 2.46 pm and a fire tender reached the spot within 15 minutes and doused the fire completely.

Before the fire tender reached the spot, a dog in the flat had barked continuously after the fire broke out, prompting the neighbours to rush and check what had happened. While the family members had gone out, 74-year-old Kathyayini, who was alone when the fire broke out, managed to get out of the house.

The firemen evacuated residents of the 106 flats located in the apartment and doused the fire, which gutted some furniture in the house. It is suspected that a domestic gas leak caused the fire. Investigation is on to ascertain the exact reason.