More than two dozen residents were rescued after a fire broke out in the five-storey Bagadiya Tower near the Purani Kotwali police station in Ujjain on Wednesday evening, with six fire tenders bringing the blaze under control after more than 90 minutes.
The fire began on the first floor of the building, which houses a godown storing sports goods and other material. Preliminary indications suggested that the flames spread from the godown, although the cause of the fire was still being analysed, according to the report.
Municipal corporation fire officer LP Sahu said about six fire tenders reached the site and worked to control the blaze. Corporation tankers maintained a continuous water supply during the operation as smoke and flames affected the building.
Firefighters instructed residents to move to the topmost floor while they tackled the fire. Once the flames and smoke were brought under control, the residents were brought down through the building’s staircase. The rescue operation prevented the trapped occupants from being exposed to the fire for longer as emergency teams worked inside and around the tower.
One resident, identified as Saroj, 60, wife of Rambabu, was admitted to the district hospital after inhaling smoke. The report did not mention other serious injuries among the residents who were rescued.
The incident triggered panic in the surrounding neighbourhood and led to the deployment of additional emergency and law-enforcement teams. Collector Roshan Kumar Singh and Superintendent of Police Pradeep Sharma reached the site. State Disaster Response Force and police teams were also summoned to support the response.
The building’s first-floor godown was the initial point of the fire identified in the report. The presence of stored sports goods and other material made that area the focus of the preliminary assessment, but authorities had not announced a final cause when the report was published.
The rescue also highlighted the operational challenge of managing a fire in a multi-storey building with residents trapped above the affected floor. Firefighters first directed occupants towards the topmost floor and later used the staircase to bring them down after smoke and flames were controlled. Further details on the building’s safety arrangements, the extent of property damage and the final cause of the fire were not available in the report.
