Bangalore: A major fire gutted the Navarathan Jewellers showroom on M G Road here on Wednesday morning.
Three firemen and an employee suffered burns. The casualty would have been high if the blaze had broken out during business hours.
The fire-fighting operation led to massive traffic jams as police closed MG Road for two hours as a safety measure.
The police said the fire broke out around 9:30 am in the showroom located on the first floor of Almas Centre. Public and employees from the neighbouring buildings noticed smoke billowing from the showroom. They informed the fire department and alerted the showroom owner, Gowtham Chand Jain, and staff.
“Two fire tenders rushed to the spot within 15 minutes. They called up the control room and asked for more fire tenders and personnel as the entire floor was engulfed in flames. A total of 10 fire tenders and more than 50 fire personnel rushed to the spot and strove for over three hours to douse the fire,” said a fire officer.
The officers said the staff entered the shop as soon as the ladders were set up and the windowpanes and glasses were broken by the fire personnel. They packed the ornaments in plastic carry bags and threw them towards employees assembled at the open space in front of the building. After collecting the bags, they shifted them to a safe place.
