Huge Fire At MP Govt Building Put Off After Indian Air Force's Swift Intervention

In a dramatic rescue operation spanning nearly 14 hours, the Indian Air Force (IAF) and local authorities successfully doused a massive fire that engulfed Satpura Bhawan, a government office complex in Bhopal.

The timely intervention of the IAF, deploying an AN-52 plane and an MI-15 chopper, proved instrumental in combating the flames.

"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," Bhopal Commissioner of Police Harinarayanachari Mishra told ANI.

The fire broke out on the third floor of the building, which housed the regional office of the Tribal Welfare Department, at approximately 4 pm. The blaze rapidly spread to the upper floors, fueled by air conditioners and gas cylinders, resulting in multiple explosions.

No casualties have been reported in the blaze as people were safely evacuated before the fire spread, the official said.

Given the significance of the building, which accommodates various Madhya Pradesh government departments, authorities mobilized resources from the Army, AAI, and oil companies. Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan promptly informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, and Home Minister Amit Shah about the dire situation, seeking their assistance.

Reassuring support from the central government, Prime Minister Modi assured all possible assistance to control the fire. As night fell, the IAF aircraft and chopper continued their operation, employing water-filled buckets to extinguish the flames from above, as per the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).

Chief Minister Chouhan took charge of the situation, dispatching the state's Home Minister and the medical education minister to assess the ongoing efforts at the site. The fire's impact extended to the third, fourth, fifth, and top sixth floors of the building, with the billowing smoke visible from various parts of the city.

The inferno caused significant damage, reducing furniture and important documents from multiple departments to ashes. Firefighters from the Army, Indian Oil Corporation, BPCL, Airports Authority of India, BHEL, Mandideep, and Raisen joined forces, bringing in a total of 22 fire tenders and 30-40 tankers to combat the blaze.

District Collector Ashish Singh highlighted the challenges faced by firefighters, including the heavy smoke hindering their entry into the building. The fire's density posed further complications, exacerbating the difficulty of the operation. However, despite these hurdles, no casualties were reported.

Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire originated from a short circuit in an air conditioner on the third floor, later spreading due to strong winds. The Bhopal Police Commissioner, Harinarayanchari Mishra, confirmed these initial findings. Ramesh Neel, Fire Officer of the Bhopal Municipal Corporation, estimated significant losses to furniture and documents as a result of the fire.

In response to the incident, the state government has formed a committee comprising senior bureaucrats to ascertain the cause of the fire. This investigative panel, including officials from the Additional Chief Secretary's Office (Home), Principal Secretary (Urban Administration), Principal Secretary (PWD), and Additional Director General (Fire), will delve into the matter, according to the CMO.

RK Singh, the officer in charge of Arera Hills police station, disclosed that the departments of tribal welfare and health suffered substantial losses, with furniture and documents ravaged by the fire.