Burst pipe in fire brigade truck delayed firefighting:Water spilled on Gwalior streets, fire took more than 7 hours to control

A major fire broke out on Sunday evening in a merchant’s house in Balabai Bazaar, Maharaj Bada, under Kotwali police station in Gwalior. The fire exposed serious problems in the municipal fire brigade. More water flowed on the streets than was actually used to fight the fire. Burst pipes and faulty equipment caused a delay, and it took over seven hours to control the flames. Sadly, a woman died from suffocation in the incident. An investigation by Dainik Bhaskar found that out of 33 fire brigade vehicles in Gwalior, only 15 are working, while 18 are out of order. Although the annual maintenance budget is 2 crore rupees, the fire brigade’s pipes have not been replaced for three years. Fire broke out, but the system appeared to fail On Sunday evening around 4 PM, a fire suddenly broke out in the merchant family’s house. Within minutes, the flames engulfed the entire house. At that time, six members of the family were inside the house. Firefighters broke windows and rescued five people, but Ankita Agarwal suffocated due to the smoke. She was taken to the hospital, where she died during treatment. Upon receiving the news of the incident, his father Ashok Agarwal suffered a heart attack. He has been admitted to Apollo Hospital. More water flowed on the road than into the fire People present at the scene said that fire brigade vehicles arrived, but the pipes being used to extinguish the fire were torn in several places. A large portion of the water kept flowing onto the road before reaching the fire. The situation was such that local residents had to try to stop the pipe leakages by placing bricks and stones. Many vehicles also could not build up water pressure, which continuously delayed controlling the fire. See pictures Due to a burst pipe, water continuously flowed onto the road. Faulty Equipment Worsened the Situation The Balabai Market area is narrow, making it difficult for fire brigade vehicles to reach inside. On top of that, faulty pipes, leaks, and low-pressure vehicles further worsened the situation. As a result, the fire kept raging and it took hours to extinguish it. More than 10 fire brigade vehicles had to be deployed to extinguish the fire. Water was also called in from tankers, but despite this, it took more than 7 hours to bring the fire under control. Praveen Agrawal, President of the Madhya Pradesh Chamber of Commerce, said that if the first fire brigade vehicle had been in proper condition, the fire could have been controlled in the initial stages. However, the pipes of the very first vehicle were burst and there was no water pressure. According to Additional Commissioner Pradeep Tomar, more than 35 fire brigade vehicles’ worth of water has been used so far to extinguish the fire. The SDRF team also reached the spot and was engaged in relief operations. Now know the situation of the Fire Brigade in Gwalior 18 Fire Brigade vehicles out of order Gwalior city has a total of 33 fire brigade vehicles. In addition, there are also three hybrid motorcycles, which are used to reach the spot before the fire brigade in case of a fire incident and control the fire at an initial stage. But the alarming situation is this. Out of 33, only 15 vehicles are in working condition, while 18 vehicles are out of order. This number is considered very low according to the city’s growing population, as a city like Gwalior needs at least more than 50 fire brigade vehicles. 2 Crore maintenance but pipes not replaced for 3 years There is an annual budget of about 2 crore rupees for the maintenance of the fire brigade, but despite this, the system has not been fully rectified. The department says that minor maintenance work is carried out continuously, but the condition of pipes and equipment remains poor in many places. Regarding burst pipes, the department claims that tenders for maintenance have been issued for the last three years and two companies have also been blacklisted, but despite this, the pipes could not be replaced. This means that old pipes have been in use for three years. Staff shortage in the department There is also a severe staff shortage in the department. Currently, about 109 more employees are said to be needed, but due to no recruitment for a long time, the entire responsibility rests on the available staff. It is also surprising that many employees are not fully trained. According to the rule, after receiving information about a fire, nearby fire brigades should cover a distance of one kilometre in one minute and reach the spot as soon as possible, but due to the shortage of vehicles, faulty equipment, and lack of staff, the reality of this system is also being questioned. Collector ordered an investigation Collector Ruchika Chauhan said that regular servicing and testing of fire brigade vehicles is necessary. Information about this matter will be given to the Municipal Commissioner and the arrangements will be investigated.