Bhubaneswar fire: 3 dead in Laxmisagar area; short circuit suspected

A fire, reportedly caused by a short circuit, broke out in Bhubaneswar's Laxmisagar area, killing three people. BJD MLA Ananta Narayan Jena visited the site, expressing grief and calling for stricter checks on builders' safety standards.

A fire broke out in the Laxmisagar area of Bhubaneswar on Wednesday, claiming the lives of three people, an official said. BJD MLA Ananta Narayan Jena expressed grief over the incident, calling it "unfortunate and sad." He visited the site and confirmed the casualties.

MLA Cites Short Circuit, Urges Safety Audits

According to preliminary information, the fire was reportedly caused by a short circuit. He said that authorities should thoroughly inspect whether construction planning by builders meets safety standards before issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs). "It is an unfortunate and sad news... I visited the apartment... 3 people have lost their lives... There was a short circuit... It should be inspected whether the planning done by the builder is correct, then the NOC (No Objection Certificate) should be given... The incident took place this morning", BJD MLA Jena told ANI.

Further investigation into the incident is underway.

Separate Fire Incident at Chilika Lake

On April 25, a separate fire incident was reported in Chilika Lake in Odisha's Khordha district, which was brought under control after hours of sustained effort by wildlife and fire service teams. The blaze had spread through dry Phragmites patches, locally known as Nala grass, before being contained after coordinated firefighting operations involving teams from Khordha and Puri districts.

Wildlife officials had suspected that miscreants may have set fire to dry grass in the ecologically sensitive lake area, though the exact cause remains under investigation. (ANI)

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