Air Force called in to douse Bhopal building fire raging for 9 hours, PM Modi briefed
Bhopal/IBNS: A massive fire has been on for over nine hours in a multi-storied building in the Satpura Bhawan that houses various government offices in Madhya Pradesh capital Bhopal.
Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan called Defence Minister Rajnath Singh seeking support from the Indian Air Force to douse the blaze.
Special IAF aircraft will fly to Bhopal tonight to help douse the fire.
Chauhan has also called Prime Minister Narendra Modi and briefed him.
The building was evacuated in time and no one was injured.
According to reports, the fire started around 4 pm on the third floor of the government building, housing the regional office of the Tribal Welfare Department.
From the third floor, the fire had spread fast to three upper floors. As the raging inferno came in contact with air conditioners and some gas cylinders, there were multiple blasts.
All the offices located there bore the brunt of the fire, including the health department office, where files have been destroyed, said reports.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has directed the Air Force to use AN-32 aircraft and MI-15 choppers to reach Bhopal tonight.
The Chief Minister is monitoring the progress of the fire-fighting operations. He has also formed a probe panel, comprising the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Principal Secretary (Urban Development), Principal Secretary (PWD), and ADG (Fire) to look into the cause of the fire.