Bengaluru, February 23; GANASHAKTI: 300 vehicles were gutted in a fire that broke out in a parking lot at the venue of the 2019 Aero India show being conducted by the defence ministry at the Yelahanka air base. No casualties have been reported. The fire has been extinguished completely, said DGP of Fire Services MN Reddi.
According to a policeman, around 100 cars were affected in the blaze after one car caught fire. To control the fire, more than 10 fire engines have been rushed to the spot.
The cause of the fire is not yet known but sources say it could have been a lit cigarette that was thrown into the grass which may have started the fire.
The fire broke out just moments after badminton star PV Sindhu took to the skies co-piloting the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas’ trainer variant.
Seven ambulances have been stationed at the site in case of any causalities.
The parking spot is located around a few kilometres away from where the air show is being held.
DGP Fire Services MN Reddi said that the spread of fire was controlled by creating a gap by removing adjacent cars. He added, "10 Fire Force and 5 other fire engines fought the fire under the leadership of Chief Fire Officer, West."
The area has been cordoned off and police personnel have reached the spot to initiate the investigation. No planes are reported to have suffered any damage.
Saturday is the fourth day of the Aero India 2019 air show which began on February 20.
On Tuesday, two aircrafts of IAF's aerobatic team Surya Kiran crashed after hitting each other mid-air on Tuesday, killing a pilot and injuring two who ejected to safety during a rehearsal for the Aero India show.
Video clips of the incident had showed the two jets crashing to the ground and bursting into flames near Yelahanka airbase after brushing against each other mid-air, a day before the five day event commenced.
