Massive fire at godown of lubricant products in Bengaluru | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: A massive fire broke out at a warehouse of a lubricant oil company on Bengaluru-Tumakuru highway in the early hours of Tuesday. Around 12 fire tenders were pressed into operation, no casualties were reported.The incident occurred at a third-party shared warehouse operated by Toll Logisticsnear Nelamangala RTO. The warehouse had stored products manufactured by Shell. Madanayakanahalli police said the incident was reported around 3am by a passerby, who noticed thick smoke emanating from the godown.The police alerted the Nelamangala fire station. After the firemen reached the spot, they found the fire had already spread to the entire godown and sought additional fire tenders from Peenya, Yeshwanthpura, and Tumakuru fire stations.Six bowsers, three water tankers, an aerial ladder platform, and a fog tanker, along with state disaster response force (SDRF), were being used to douse the fire. The fire has come under control, a senior officer said.The employees work in the godown until 7.30pm. So, there were no people inside when the fire broke out. The officer added prima facie, it appears the fire broke out due to short circuit. A huge quantity of oil was stored in the godown, which is spread over 30,000 square feet. The loss is estimated to be in crores. It is reported that the oil belonged to a private corporation, Shell. The godown belonged to the son-in-law of a former minister of the state. The police are yet to receive an official complaint about the incident. Meanwhile, Shell put out a note: “This facility, which is not owned or operated by Shell, is used for the storage of lubricant products. We understand that there have been no casualties. We are working closely with Toll Logistics and local authorities to manage the incident and ensure the area is secured. A comprehensive assessment is in progress to determine the cause and extent of the fire, which is yet to be ascertained.”