More than 20 seized vehicles gutted after fire breaks out at two police parking grounds in Bengaluru

Twelve vehicles including two jeeps, cars and autorickshaws as well as bikes were gutted in Kengeri

Two parking lots full of vehicles seized by the police, one in Kengeri and the other in K.G. Halli, caught fire within a few hours of each other on Friday. Over 20 cars and two-wheelers that had been seized by the police were gutted. 

The blaze first broke out at the yard near K.G. Halli police station around 10.30 a.m. and was doused off after two hours at 12.30 p.m. By then, seven four-wheelers and a few bikes had been gutted. An hour later, around 1.30 p.m., emergency personnel received an alert of another fire near the ground at Kengeri station. Twelve vehicles including two jeeps, cars and autorickshaws as well as bikes were gutted. It took two fire tenders hours to put out the fire, but hundreds of other vehicles parked were saved from damage, said a fire and emergency personnel. 

“The vehicles had been seized in connection to cases ranging from theft and robbery to rioting. Many parked vehicles had been lying there for a decade at least,” said a senior police officer. 

Though both lots caught fire within a span of a few hours, officials don’t believe they are linked. Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP-West) Sanjeev Patil said, “The cause of the fire at Kengeri is suspected to be from a cigaratte or beedi thrown on the dry grass from the railway tracks adjacent to the station. Some eye-witnesses said they saw a group of people passing by and someone had thrown a burning stub. We are probing this.”

Fire and emergency service personnel believe that the heat and dry grass in both grounds resulted in the fire spreading. “While there is no sign of arson, a detailed investigation will be carried out,” said a senior fire officer.