Many cars gutted as massive fire breaks out at service centre | Lucknow News
Lucknow: A massive fire broke out at an automobile service centre on Ring Road in Kalyanpur on Thursday afternoon, gutting several cars and a large stock of auto parts before firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control after a three-hour operation.The fire led to panic on the road, bringing moving traffic to a grinding halt. The incident took place around 2.15 pm at the service centre located beside Nirvana Hospital. The service centre, owned by Ashwani Verma, a resident of Mahanbagh on Sitapur Road, had about a dozen employees working that day. Most of them went for lunch when smoke began billowing from the rear auto-parts storage section. According to fire station officer (Indiranagar) Kamlendra Kumar Singh, the fire spread rapidly after coming in contact with grease and engine oil stored in the parts room. “The flames intensified within minutes. Staff tried to douse the fire using extinguishers and water, but the blaze was too fierce,” Singh said. By the time fire tenders from Indiranagar, BKT, Hazratganj, Chowk, and Gomtinagar arrived, two cars on the hydraulic lift caught fire and were completely destroyed. Seven other vehicles parked on the ground floor were pushed out to safety by staff members. “The service centre’s power supply was cut due to the fire, making it impossible to lower the hydraulic lift and save the two cars,” the FSSO added. Firefighters used water from Nirvana Hospital’s tanks when their own supplies ran dry. It took eight fire tenders and over three hours of continuous effort to completely douse the flames. Owner Ashwani Verma said the blaze was so intense that the office glass panes shattered, the metal roof collapsed, and walls cracked due to the heat. “Thankfully, all staff were safely evacuated in time,” he said. Preliminary investigations suggest the fire may have been caused by a short circuit in the parts store. Verma said that account books, files, and documents were destroyed, making it difficult to estimate the total loss. “We will assess the damage once the place is fully inspected,” he added. No injuries were reported in the incident.
