Pune: Fire in building parking lot, 13 vehicles gutted

PUNE: Twelve two-wheelers and a sports utility vehicle (SUV) were gutted in a fire that broke out in the parking lot of Sai Prasad, a residential building, at Jambhulwadi, off Katraj-Dehu Road bypass, on Saturday.
The fire brigade officials extinguished the flames around 1am on Sunday.

An eight-year-old boy and his mother sustained minor burn injuries in the incident.
The flames and dense smoke caused panic among the residents of the two-storeyed building. The building has 10 flats of which eight are occupied.
Fire station duty officer Subhas Jadhav told TOI, “The exact reason behind the fire is not known. However, we spoke to the local residents who claimed that the fire broke out in the SUV’s engine compartment. It then quickly spread to the parking area, engulfing the vehicles quickly.”
“We received the call at 11.28pm and took time to reach the spot owing to the narrow road. The approach road to the building is very narrow and we had to break the compound grills to reach the building,” Jadhav said.
“After breaking the grills, we managed to spray water and brought the fire under control,” Jadhav said.
Dhananjay Hinge, a local resident, told TOI, “The electrical circuits of the building are intact, and the fire started after the SUV arrived at the building. Something went wrong in the engine compartment of the SUV and the fire broke out.”
“Due to the flames, the iron grilles of the doors were heated. A woman and her son came in contact with the door and sustained minor burn injuries while climbing the stairs to the terrace. All the residents had climbed on the terrace, thinking that the fire will engulf the entire building,” Jadhav said.
In January, 15 vehicles were gutted in a fire at the parking lot of a residential building at Shivane in Pune. There were no casualties.
As per the information provided by the fire brigade officials, the gutted vehicles included 13 two-wheelers and two auto-rickshaws.
The incident occurred around 5am at Shivkamal Prestige building near Shinde bridge.
Early in May, four two-wheelers were gutted in a fire in the parking lot of a building at Sevalal chowk area of Lakshminagar in Yerawada.
The total estimate of the damage caused to the two-wheelers is Rs1,90,000.
The two-wheelers were parked inside the building when the incident occurred, police said.
A case under Section 435 of Indian Penal Code was registered at the Yerawada police station.