A car showroom on Shankar Mutt Road in Shivamogga caught fire in the evening on February 16, damaging valuables, including cars, worth over ₹2 crore. Six cars and spare parts, paint boxes, and fibre materials were gutted.
The fire was spotted in the back of the Hyundai showroom around 10 p.m. By then, the staff of the showroom had left for the day after pulling down the shutters. A security guard working at another car showroom spotted the fire and informed Fire and Emergency Services.
Fire tenders rushed to the spot. They succeeded in extinguishing the fire by 11.30 p.m. By then, two Hyundai cars and four more cars parked on the premises of the Tata showroom nearby were damaged.
Mahalingappa, District Fire Officer of Shivamogga, told The Hindu,. “It seems the fire was the result of an electric short circuit. The building lacked fire safety measures. There was no ventilation in the cellar, which posed a challenge to our staff,” he said.
