Lack of preparedness and defunct fire fighting system triggered a huge fire in the first floor of Visakhapatnam Urban Development Authority (VUDA) office in the city on Monday, a senior official said on Wednesday.
Had there been extinguishers in working condition, fire alarm system and smoke detectors, it could have been contained immediately, District Fire Officer B.V.S. Ram Prakash told The Hindu .
He also admitted that the damage would have been more had it occurred in one of the top three to four floors of the nine-storey building.
Mr. Ravi Prakash said after continuous fire-fighting by 40 men from their department and three fire engines deployed by them immediately after getting information about the accident, they could extinguish the inferno within two hours.
“Our men had to struggle hard as there was no power and the smoke engulfed the entire building. Our men had to sport helmets, kneel down and gain entry into the floor by breaking open the glasses. Fortunately no employee was present in the area when fire engulfed the first floor,” he said.
The first and second floors house the office of the Commercial Taxes Department and the first was used only to keep the old files.
The senior fire officer also felt that being owner of a multi-storeyed building, VUDA should have designated one officer for each floor as in-charge of fire and safety, search and rescue and evacuation if any as and when required in the event of an eventuality.
“After obtaining no-objection certificate they are also supposed to hold mock drills as stipulated by them as part of Standard Operating Procedure (SOP),” he said.
