The fire that broke out in a Hebbagodi apartment on Wednesday could have engulfed the whole building but for an alert dog that drew attention to the brewing disaster with loud barks.
On opening the door to find out why the dog Appu was barking insistently, residents of VMAKS Charlet in Vasundhara Layout noticed smoke bellowing from flat 119. “We saw the fire spreading and alerted other residents. We all ran out of the building,” said a resident, acknowledging that the dog saved them from a major disaster.
Chinnaswamy, who lives in a house behind the apartment building, noticed people spilling out of the building at 3 pm. “I saw the fire and immediately called the police, who summoned the fire and emergency officials to douse the blaze,” Chinnaswamy said.
When the thick smoke cleared some time later, residents noticed that the fire had destroyed furniture and appliances in flat 119. “A neighbour rescued an elderly person who was in the flat when the fire broke,” said a resident, noting that the fire could have spread to all 180 flats.
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