Gwalior, March 6 (IANS) A devastating incident of fire is reported in the Lal Tipara Gaushala (cowshed), some 15 km away from Gwalior main city, when an unknown source of fire ignited the straw-made sofas, causing a massive fire.
The incident occurred in the Morar police station locality.
The inadequate safety arrangements in the cowshed exacerbated the situation, allowing the flames to spread rapidly and engulf the entire area for approximately half an hour.
The initial moments were chaotic, with flames consuming the straw and generating thick plumes.
Speaking to IANS over the phone, a senior police officer confirmed the incident and said the Gaushala campus is huge, and the incident occurred in an area where the management organises programmes.
The police officer ruled out that the fire was caused by short circuit.
“No live wire was found, however, an investigation will ascertain the cause of fire,” the official said, adding, “no casualty has been reported”.
The Gaushala is popular in the area as it is spread on several acres of land and houses hundreds of cows. It took about 25 minutes for the fire brigade vehicles to arrive at the scene.
Once on-site, the fire-fighters sprang into action and managed to bring the fire under control, ultimately extinguishing the flames.
Their timely intervention prevented what could have been a catastrophic disaster, saving the cowshed from complete destruction.
At the time of the fire, every worker was gathered at a meeting, also no cows were present in the immediate vicinity of the flames.
As a result, there were no casualties, and neither the cows nor the people were harmed.
“It is a large campus and has sections… cows and a bio-gas plant were far from the incident site,” the police officer said.
The cowshed community heaved a collective sigh of relief, recognising the potential for tragedy if the fire had broken out at night when the cows would have been in the area.
Another official said that the police are investigating the matter to ascertain the cause of the fire and make sure that there should be installation of advanced fire-fighting equipment and the implementation of comprehensive safety protocols which are essential to prevent such incidents.
The Gaushala is reportedly largest in Madhya Pradesh and reportedly house thousands of cows.
–IANS
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