Nagpur – A major fire broke out in an electric goods warehouse located in the Mahal area of Nagpur city on Saturday evening around 6:30 PM, leading to a tragic loss of two lives and leaving one person critically injured.
The deceased have been identified as warehouse owner Girish Khatri (35) and employee Vitthal Dhote (25). Another victim, Gunvant Nagpurkar (28), sustained severe injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital.
According to initial reports, the fire erupted in a warehouse situated above an electric goods store named “RK Light House”, located near Jumma Masjid within the Jai Kamal Complex, a multi-story residential and commercial building. The warehouse stored various electrical items, including halogen lights and fireworks—raising concerns over safety violations.
Eyewitnesses reported that welding work was being carried out inside the warehouse when a spark reportedly ignited the firecrackers and other flammable materials stored there. The flames spread rapidly, engulfing the space within minutes.
Upon receiving the alert, four fire engines rushed to the spot and launched a firefighting operation. Firefighters battled the blaze for several hours before successfully bringing it under control. The incident caused chaos in the area, drawing large crowds and requiring significant efforts from the police to manage the situation.
The Jai Kamal Complex is an old structure with commercial shops on the ground floor and residential flats above. Several families were reported to be living in the upper floors, raising concerns about the safety of occupants.
Preliminary investigations indicate that the storage of fireworks in the residential-cum-commercial building was in clear violation of fire safety norms. Both the police and the fire department have launched a thorough probe into the incident to determine accountability and whether any negligence led to the deadly fire.
This tragic incident has sparked serious questions about fire safety compliance in densely populated urban commercial zones, particularly those that house inflammable materials in residential premises.