Bhopal: Satpura Bhawan Fire Brought Under Control; CISF, Army Join Overnight Op

The massive fire that broke out at Satpura Bhawan, which houses offices of various departments of the Madhya Pradesh government in Bhopal, has been brought under control after an overnight operation that involved CISF and Army among other agencies, an official said.

The massive fire erupted on the third floor of Satpura Bhawan in MP’s Bhopal at around 4 pm on Monday, prompting authorities to call in fire tenders from Army, AAI and facilities of oil companies, officials and the CMO said.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan apprised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah about the fire and sought assistance for dousing it, an official said.

‘The fire has been brought under control. All agencies including CISF, Army came together to douse the fire and it has been controlled," Bhopal District Collector Ashish Singh said on Tuesday morning.

The fire, which affected the third, fourth, fifth and the top sixth floor of the building and the terrace, could be seen from multiple areas of the Bhopal. The affected building is located on a hill in front of the state government secretariat Vallabh Bhawan.

According to Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Indian Air Force plane (IAF) AN-52 and MI-15 chopper were to join the dousing operation in the night and pour water using bucket, however, as the dousing operation went on, Bhopal Police Commissioner Harinarayan Chari Mishra in the wee hours on Tuesday said there was no need for IAF helicopters.

“The flames have been controlled but there is a cloud of smoke at different places, due to which there is a possibility that it may catch fire later but teams are working. As of now, there is no need [for IAF helicopters]. Primarily, it has come to the fore that the cause of the fire is due to a short circuit, but a team of experts has been formed to investigate it," Bhopal Police Commissioner Harinarayan Chari Mishra said.

Officials said on Monday evening that the fire destroyed furniture and documents of several departments. Fire tenders and firefighters from the Army, Indian Oil Corporation, BPCL, Airports Authority of India, BHEL, and from Mandideep and Raisen were called in, the Chief Minister’s Office had said.

#WATCH: Satpura Bhawan building fire | The flames have been controlled but there is a cloud of smoke at different places, due to which there is a possibility that it may catch fire later but teams are working. As of now, there is no need (for IAF helicopters). Primarily it has come to the fore that the cause of the fire is due to a short circuit, but a team of experts has been formed to investigate it: Harinarayan Chari Mishra, Bhopal Police Commissioner