Airport fire kills one

Fire at the airport; one dead
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: The fire that broke out at the Airport’s Grand Ashok kitchen and restaurant at 2.45 am on Wednesday shut down all activity at the bustling airport. More than answers, there are a lot of questions as the origin and cause of fire is still a mystery.

The HAL fire tenders put out the fire on the mezzanine area of the domestic departure terminal after battling for one-and-a-half hours. One staffer died, flight services disrupted and passengers stranded. How the fire broke out

No one knows. There are conflicting versions from the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and The Hotel Grand Ashok.

Bangalore Airport director B P Bhagath: It was a ‘‘minor’’ fire that possibly came from the kitchen-cum-utility area of The Grand Ashok.

Grand Ashok, general manager (project and flight catering) Sanjay Mukherjee: Our employees say it originated from the airconditioning duct in the pathway between our restaurant and the boarding area. These are maintained by AAI and we have no idea what went wrong with them.

NOT THE FIRST TIME: According to Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel, who are incharge of Airport security, there was another minor fire earlier -- in the same premises.

‘‘It happened six months ago in Ashok’s kitchen. But it was hushed up as it was a minor one,’’ an official requesting anonymity said.

ONE DEAD: A staffer of the restaurant, Bhaskar, trapped inside the area, died of suffocation. He had reportedly joined work only six months ago. He was sleeping in a corner when the flames engulfed the area. Though brought out alive, he was declared as brought dead at a nearby hospital. He leaves behind a wife and child.

SWARMING WITH PEOPLE: Within minutes, the airport was sealed and those inside evacuated. But the numbers outside swelled as passengers started pouring in to catch their morning flights and relatives and friends came to pick up those arriving. Vinayak, a Chennai-bound passenger had this to say: ‘‘Why can’t the airlines call us and tell us about the delay? Why should we wait in the cold for four hours in the foyers?’’

THE SCENE: The waiting langue in the terminal of airport, just below the catering unit, emanated an acrid smell of smoke. There was black soot on the floor. The false ceiling, kitchen equipment were completely destroyed by the fire.

WHAT NEXT?: Grand Ashok has been temporarily closed. Airport personnel are busy with the inquiry and the entire area is expected to be scrubbed and refurbished afterwards.

AUTHORITY SPEAK: AAI Deputy Director, Communications, BR Sena: ‘‘Thank god, passengers for the 2.30 am Lufthansa flight to Frankfurt boarded the aircraft and there was no passenger in the pathway. Else, it could have been worse.’’ HAL fire tenders: ‘‘We had to literally battle with the fire. The smoke was thick and visiblity very low. The authorities had switched off the power supply as a precautionary measure.’’

State Fire Force Joint Director B.G. Changappa: ‘‘It was a minor fire. It was handled by HAL tenders. We were, however, on standby.’’

AIRLINES PLAY HOOKEY: As usual, all the airlines were caught napping, literally, and were in no position to get their act together and inform their passengers. In all, while 15 morning flights were delayed, as a consequence, more number of flights took off or arrived late.

AND FINALLY: STING: Much later in the day, the airport witnessed a celebrity landing which has already mustered enough headlines in the city. Rock superstar Sting touched base in Bangalore at around 2 p.m. on Wednesday.

The singer’s arrival came in hours after the fire broke out in the airport. Even as fans lined up to catch a glimpse of the superstar, the mood wasn’t exactly euphoric as customary with celebrity arrivals in these parts of the country. Sting is set to perform in a concert at Palace Grounds on February 4.

Sunil Dutt MP also arrived for a function on Wednesday. The VIP arrivals notwithstanding, it was business as usual at the airport. Though inbound and outbound flights were delayed after the fire, things were back to normal by afternoon.