Fire broke out in the office of Commissioner, Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), on the first floor of the Administrative Building No 2 in Civil Lines area on Sunday. It gutted the files and official records, and furniture. The fire broke out on Sunday morning. As the security guard of the Administrative Building saw smoke billowing out of the windows of the first floor, he immediately called Fire and Emergency Services Department of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC). After receiving the call around 8.30 am, Fire and Emergency Services Department rushed fire tenders and fire-fighters to douse the fire.

 

 

 

According to Rajendra Uchake, Chief Fire Officer, NMC, the fire was confined to south-west quarter of the right wing of the first floor of the Administrative Building No 2. “Half of the office is gutted in the fire. Fire-fighters had to use fire escape stairs to gain access to the affected area. Initially, aluminum ladders were used to fight the fire from windows of the building,” he said. By that time, the staff of the MGNREGS Commissionerate and Police personnel also arrived at the spot. After pressing fire tenders into service, the fire was finally brought under control at 11 am. However, till then, the fire had destroyed computers, furniture, false ceiling, files and other documents forming parts of official records, partition, electric cables and wires, fan and lighting etc. It was dark inside the office, and one could see only black ashes of gutted material and water used to douse the fire.

 

The entire walls and ceiling had turned black due to soot. In all, five vehicles (water tenders) including two from Civil Lines fire station, one from Cotton Market fire station, one from Trimurti Nagar fire station, one from Narendra Nagar fire station were pressed into service to put out the fire. Fire-fighting staff led by Rajendra Uchake, Chief Fire Officer; Sunil Dokre, Station Officer; Tushar Barahate, leading fireman Shalik Kothe, driver operator Ganesh Rajurkar, Dinesh Lonkar, Vikas Thakre, Rupesh Manke, and fireman Dinker Gaidhane participated in the fire-fighting operation. Till filing of this report, Uchake said, cause of the fire could not be ascertained. However, everyone was surprised as the fire broke out on Sunday, which was not a working day.