A pavement fire near Jayraj Sports in Kakade Settlement, Kondhwa Budruk, has raised fresh safety concerns over recurring electricity problems in the Katraj-Kondhwa area of Pune. Flames reportedly emerged suddenly from the footpath on November 8, prompting concern among residents before the fire was brought under control.
The incident occurred outside Lane Number 5, near Jayraj Sports. According to a report by Lokmat – Pune, the fire is suspected to have started after a short circuit in an underground electricity cable. The cause has not been independently confirmed in the supplied report and is being described as a preliminary assessment.
Residents reportedly saw flames coming through the pavement, creating panic in the surrounding area. The fire was brought under control in time, and residents said a larger accident was avoided. The report did not mention any injuries, damage to nearby buildings or vehicles, or an evacuation.
The incident has also brought renewed attention to repeated electricity-related problems reported by residents of Kakade Settlement. Local residents have complained of frequent power interruptions and other issues involving electricity supply in the area. The pavement fire has intensified concerns because the suspected fault involved infrastructure located below a public pedestrian surface.
Underground power cables are not normally visible to residents, which can make faults difficult to identify before they become a safety hazard. In this case, the appearance of flames on the footpath provided a visible warning of a possible failure below ground. However, the supplied report does not establish the age, ownership, condition or technical specifications of the cable, nor does it confirm whether the fault was caused by overloading, damage, water ingress or another factor.
Residents have called for the electricity network in the area to be inspected and repaired. They have specifically urged the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited, commonly known as Mahavitaran, to examine the electrical lines in Kakade Settlement and take preventive measures against similar incidents.
The concerns extend beyond the single fire. Repeated supply interruptions combined with a suspected underground cable fault point to the need for the distribution system to be assessed at the local level rather than treating each outage as an isolated service complaint. Such an assessment would need to establish the location of vulnerable cables, the frequency of failures and whether repairs carried out previously have resolved the underlying problem.
The Lokmat – Pune report did not include a response from Mahavitaran or confirm whether the utility had begun a formal inspection after the fire. The next reported step sought by residents is an official examination of the underground electrical lines and corrective repairs in the Kakade Settlement area.
