Fire at Rajendra Nagar Bank of India
Patna: March 26, 2008
A late night fire at the Bank of India, Rajendra Nagar Branch, under Kadam Kuan police station in Patna on Wednesday destroyed part of the building including damages caused by water while sending neighbors scurrying for safety.
As reported, people in the area noticed smoke coming out of the bank and informed the police which, in turn, summoned two fire tenders to check the fire from spreading.
The situation, however, took a strange turn when the fire officials, fearing legal backlash and possible departmental proceedings, refused to break open the five locks on the main door thus delaying the fire-fighting process by 15-20 minutes.
Attempts were made to contact bank manager A. K. Sinha who lives in Raja Bazaar area but the police went ahead and broke the locks to prevent fire from further spreading.
It took a little over half an hour for the firefighters to douse the flames though not before some furniture and office equipment were damaged due by fire or water. No damage was caused to the bank's strong room or other sensitive areas in the building, officials said.
Electrical short-circuit is believed to be the cause of fire.
Armed policemen were guarding the bank for the night until officials re-secured the building.
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