Panic gripped a mall in Kajlikheda, within the Kolar Police Station area of the State capital, after a fierce fire broke out on Friday afternoon. The blaze, caused by a short circuit, started in a beauty parlour on the mall’s second floor and quickly engulfed the entire shop. Upon receiving the alert, the fire brigade reached the spot and brought the fire under control after battling it for about one hour. Goods worth lakhs of rupees were destroyed in the fire. According to the information, flames were suddenly noticed in a beauty parlour located on the second floor of the IBD Imperia City Mall around 12 pm. Seeing the flames, chaos spread throughout the complex.

 

Upon receiving the news, the parlour owner immediately opened the shutter, only for smoke and intense flames to gush out. She immediately raised an alarm and informed other shopkeepers and the fire department. Short Circuit Cited as Cause: Kolar Station In-charge (TI) Sanjay Soni confirmed the incident, stating that the primary cause of the fire is believed to be a short circuit.

 

The fire spread so rapidly that the entire shop was engulfed. Due to the large quantity of flammable materials, including sofas, chairs, curtains, and other items, present inside the parlour, the fire became ferocious. Shopkeepers’ efforts to douse fire fail: Until the fire brigade arrived, neighbouring shopkeepers attempted to extinguish the fire on their own, but they were unsuccessful against the rapidly increasing flames.

 

The parlour’s air conditioner, fans, hair styling machines, electronic equipment, and all furniture were completely destroyed in the blaze. Initial estimates suggest losses worth lakhs of rupees. Abhay Raj Singh Parihar, who operates a shop in the mall, reported that the flames also reached the gym located right next to the beauty parlour. The gym was filled with smoke, and some machines were damaged due to the heat. Firefighters’ timely action prevented major damage to the gym. The mall is a six-story building housing approximately 50 to 60 shops.