Satpura Bhawan Fire Suppressed by Joint Rescue Mission Led by CISF, IAF, and Army in Madhya Pradesh

The district collector of Bhopal, Ashish Singh, said, ‘The fire has been brought under control. All agencies including CISF, Army came together to douse the fire and it has been controlled.’

There haven’t been any reported casualties, however.

On Monday, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan provided Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a comprehensive briefing on the extent of the fire's impact on the building. Additionally, he had a conversation with Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, during which he requested the assistance of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

In response to the firefighting mission, an AN-32 aircraft and an MI-15 helicopter were dispatched to Bhopal.

The fire outbreak occurred just 47 days after a fire audit had taken place.

The incident is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit in the air conditioning system of the tribal welfare department, which is located on the third floor, around 4 pm.

Following the outbreak of the fire, employees and visitors were promptly evacuated. The flames quickly spread to the fourth floor, where the health department is located, and subsequently extended to the fifth and sixth floors. The incident resulted in the complete destruction of all air conditioning units, accompanied by audible blasts from a distance. Disturbingly, sources indicate that the fire safety measures in place were insufficient to effectively combat such a blaze. Furthermore, a hydraulic lift specifically designed for combating fires in high-rise buildings remained unused in a corner, while firefighters struggled to spray water on the upper floors. Tragically, critical records housed within Satpura Bhawan were reduced to ashes as a result of the fire.

According to sources, the destroyed documents may include numerous files that the CBI had been seeking in relation to their investigation into the "nursing college recognition scam" and files related to Covid expenditure. There are unconfirmed reports suggesting that files and documents stored in the complaint branch of the EOW and Lokayukta were also lost in the fire.

The BMC promptly deployed all available fire units to tackle the fire, while receiving assistance from firefighters of SDERF and CISF. Bhopal Collector Ashish Singh and Police Commissioner Harinarayan Chari Mishra were present at the scene and confirmed that there were no casualties. Additional fire engines were summoned from the airport, BHEL, as well as nearby locations such as Mandideep and Raisen.

At approximately 7pm, the Army arrived at the scene; however, at that point, the fire had already spread throughout the entire building. Subsequently, personnel from the Indian Air Force (IAF) also arrived to join the firefighting efforts.

Chief Minister Chouhan expressed profound gratitude for the prompt assistance rendered by various departments of the central government, including the Army, Air Force, BHEL, CISF, and the airport authorities.