Bengaluru: A devastating fire accident in Bengaluru claimed the lives of a family of four and their neighbour in the early hours of Saturday after a blaze engulfed a plastic manufacturing unit in Nagarthapet, near KR Market, police said.
The victims have been identified as Madan Singh (38), his wife Sangeetha (33), their children Rithesh (7) and Vihaan (5), along with neighbour Suresh Kumar (26). Singh, a native of Rajasthan, had been residing in the building for nearly a decade, where he also ran a small-scale unit producing plastic kitchen items, mats, and steel utensils.
Police suspect that an electric short circuit may have triggered the fire. A senior Fire Department official said the first emergency call was received around 3:14 am, following which eight fire tenders, 55 firefighters, and 21 officers were deployed to the spot.
“It was essentially a godown filled with flammable materials, which made firefighting extremely challenging,” the official explained.
The building, located in one of Bengaluru’s most densely populated trading hubs, witnessed intense rescue operations through the night. Authorities confirmed that while the fire has been brought under control, the exact cause of the blaze is still being investigated.
This incident highlights the recurring fire safety concerns in Bengaluru’s commercial hubs, where old and congested structures double up as storage and residential spaces, often making them vulnerable to such tragedies.
