House belongs to Vidyavardhaka Sangha President Gundappa Gowda; alert neighbours rescue family

Mysore/Mysuru: In a major fire accident, household articles and vehicles, estimated worth several lakhs of rupees, were gutted at a house in Kumbarakoppal here in the wee hours of today.

The incident occurred at the house of Gundappa Gowda, President of Vidyavardhaka Sangha (VVS), between 2.30 am and 2.45 am. Fortunately, the occupants of the house, including Gowda, his wife Nagamma, second son Narendra, his wife Sowmya and two children, had a miraculous escape, kudos to the exemplary bravery displayed by the alert neighbours who brought them out to safety.

The shell-shocked Gowda’s family members have been shifted to another house owned by them in the same locality, it is said. Gundappa Gowda couple was sleeping on the ground floor, while their son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren were sleeping on the first floor of the house.

Gowda’s neighbour, who resides opposite his house, woke up to a sound and noticed raging flames in Gowda’s compound, engulfing the house. He rushed out to alert other neighbours who joined him in the rescue efforts. Even in the wee hours, the neighbours rushed to the first floor of Gowda’s house from the terrace of the neighbouring house and succeeded in bringing the family out of the rooms to a safe space.

While there is no clarity yet on what triggered the fire, the public, who were present at the spot, say that it could be due to malfunctioning of a plug of the battery cable of an Electric Vehicle (EV) fixed to the socket-holder for recharge on the compound wall, causing a short circuit. The fire spread to another two-wheeler and a brand-new SUV, reducing all of them to ashes.

As the fire engulfed the main door and window frames, the wooden furniture and electronic gadgets in the living room also caught fire. Owing to the extreme heat, a part of the ceiling of the ground floor has also been damaged. However, a van parked outside the compound has been left undamaged.

Fire and Emergency Services personnel from Hebbal Fire Station succeeded in dousing the fire in an hour-long operation.

However, most of the articles on the ground floor of the house had been reduced to cinders by that time. Metagalli Police, who visited the spot, conducted a spot mahazar and registered a case.