At least 13 people were charred to death, and seven others were injured in a major explosion during the unloading of firecrackers at a godown at Attibele, near the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, on Saturday. The injured have been admitted to two hospitals, and one is critical, said B.R. Ravikanthe Gowda, IGP, Central Range.

There were around 20 people working in the godown, and some of them were missing. “Search is now on to trace them,” Mallikarjuna Baladandi, Superintendent of Police, Bengaluru Rural district, said.

Nine fire tenders, along with the Attibele police and local residents, joined in the operation to put out the fire. Several vehicles parked adjacent to the godown were also destroyed.

While the FSL is yet to ascertain what led to the accident, It is suspected that a spark from an electric wire in the godown led to the fire.

Mr. Gowda said safety operations to check firecracker shops in and around the city ahead of Deepavali will begin soon.

While at least 13 people died in a major fire at a firecracker godown at Attibele, close to Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border on Saturday, search was on till late in the night for others who were still missing.

A majority of the workers in the godown were from Vaniyambadi and Kallakurichi in Tamil Nadu. A significant number of them are believed to have also come from Ammapettai village in the neighbouring Dharmapuri district.

With Deepavali around the corner, the firecracker hub for Bengaluru had started getting to work, attracting workers from across the Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

Lucky escape

According to sources, three workers of the group — Bhimarao Ramji, Lokesh, and Adhi — had a lucky escape as they had stepped out before the fire started.

The driver of a truck and the owner of the godown, identified as Ramaswamy Reddy, were injured in the accident and were admitted to hospital along with others. The charred remains of the victims were moved to a hospital in Attibele.

The police detained Naveen, son of the godown owner. An FIR was registered against the owner in the Attibele police station.

Several vehicles parked adjacent to the godown were also consumed by the blaze. The explosion was so loud that people in the adjacent shops and residential buildings rushed out, said eyewitnesses.

Spark from wire?

While FSL authorities are yet to ascertain what led to the fire, it is suspected that a spark from an electric wire in the godown triggered it. Police officials are waiting to question the injured to learn more. The police are also checking whether the shop had all valid NOCs.

The fire, which started around 2.30 p.m., was brought under control hours later, with over 100 personnel from the Fire and Emergency Services and the police working together. Shops and houses around the area were evacuated during the operation and the entire area was cordoned off. The police also diverted traffic moving on the highway as the scene of the accident was close to the road.

Compensation

Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, who visited the accident site at late night and announced a compensation of ₹5 lakh to the family of each of the victims, said the Deputy Commissioners and the police had been instructed to ensure safety measures at the firecracker godowns and shops.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who condoled the death of people on the accident, said he would visit the spot on Sunday.

Taking to ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), he said he was “deeply saddened” to hear the news of the tragedy. “My thoughts and condolences go out to the families of the deceased workers.”

Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin announced ₹3 lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased, ₹1 lakh to severely injured persons and ₹50,000 to injured persons from Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Public Relief Fund.

Illegal storage?

Senior Fire and Emergency Services Department officials said that the godown where the fire accident occurred was illegal, as the owner did not have the licence to store crackers and explosives. “While unloading, unscientific handling of the crackers led to one of the boxes exploding. The Fire Department is going to file a report against the owner based on which a criminal casewill be booked,” said an official.