VUDA building fire – lack of preparedness blamed

Wednesday, October 25, 2017 
Visakhapatnam

Defunct firefighting system triggered a huge fire in the first floor of VUDA office on Monday.

District Fire Officer B.V.S.Ram Prakash said that had there been extinguishers in working condition, fire alarm system and smoke detectors, it could have been contained immediately. He said that the damage would have been more had it occurred in one of the top three to four floors of the nine-storey building. He said that 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.

The District Fire Officer said that they men struggled hard as there was no power and the smoke engulfed the entire building. ‘ Our men had to sport helmets, kneel down and gain entry in the floor by breaking open the glasses. Fortunately no employee was present in the area when fire engulfed the first floor’, he said.

It may be recalled that Major fire engulfs VUDA building and employees and visitors become panic on Monday.