Fire Engulfs 4 Shops In Akola’s Alankar Market A major fire broke out at Akola city’s Alankar Market, one of the region’s busiest electronics trading hubs, on Tuesday afternoon. The blaze engulfed four shops specializing in electronic goods and plastic toys, with flames persisting intermittently until late evening despite a large-scale firefighting operation. The incident occurred around 2 p.m., and traders expressed concerns over potential losses in the millions of rupees, citing the destruction of inventory. Preliminary findings by fire officer Manish Kathale indicated that a spark from an inverter, likely triggered by a power outage, may have started the fire. The blaze reportedly originated on the first floor of a shop stocked with plastic toys and electronic goods before spreading to neighboring establishments. Firefighters faced challenges accessing the upper floors of the building, prompting the forced removal of shutters to allow for continued firefighting efforts. Nearly 30 fire tenders were deployed to contain the blaze, but the presence of stored plastic products and electronic goods continued to fuel the flames. Heavy rain during the day provided little relief, as the flames repeatedly flared up, producing thick black smoke that billowed from the market. BJP MLC Vasant Khandelwal visited the site and stated the fire had caused losses worth crores of rupees, with stocks of electronic goods and plastic toys destroyed. He also criticized the emergency response, alleging that an adequate number of fire tenders did not reach the location in time. Khandelwal reportedly spoke to Akola municipal commissioner Dr. Sunil Lahane and questioned the absence of senior civic officials at the scene during the crisis.#akola #manish_kathale #alankar_market #vasant_khandelwal #dr_sunil_lahane
AC Short Circuit Sparks Blaze In Akola Hospital Akola: A major fire scare was reported at a private hospital in the Ramdaspeth area of Akola on Thursday after an air conditioner caught fire due to a short circuit, triggering a blaze in the critical care unit (CCU) and spreading smoke to the intensive care unit (ICU). The incident occurred around 1:10 p.m. when an AC unit in the CCU malfunctioned and ignited, engulfing the room where two patients were receiving treatment. Hospital staff acted swiftly to evacuate both patients immediately. The adjoining ICU was also affected as smoke spread through the facility, causing panic among patients and their families. With the help of locals and attendants, hospital authorities coordinated the transfer of all ICU patients to nearby hospitals using ambulances. Fire officials arrived at the scene within minutes of receiving the alert. Manish Kathale, chief of the fire department, stated, “We got a call at around 1:10 p.m. and reached the hospital within five minutes. Our first priority was to rescue patients from the affected CCU area, while another team simultaneously worked to douse the flames.” He emphasized that the fire was brought under control promptly, preventing it from spreading further. Patients in the ICU were also evacuated as a precautionary measure. Dr. Deepak Kelkar, the hospital director, explained that solar installation work was underway at the facility, and the main power line had been switched off. “We are investigating how power supply resumed and led to the short circuit. Our immediate focus was on ensuring patient safety. Thanks to our staff, fire brigade, and locals, all patients were safely evacuated,” he said. Police arrived at the scene to assess the situation, and no injuries or casualties were reported.#akola #ramdaspeth #akola_hospital #manish_kathale #dr_deepak_kelkar
