About 40 labourers had been staying at the building that collapsed
"A building in the Wilson Garden locality of Lakkasandra can collapse any moment, some people are inside," flashed a message in the emergency control room of Bengaluru south's fire department on Monday morning.
Within moments, district fire officer Krishna Shetty left for the spot with a fire tender and a rescue vehicle. Deputy Director, fire and emergency services, Y A Kousar rushed to the spot too.
District Fire Officer Krishna Shetty
At the building, more than 10 labourers were trying to gather their belongings and valuables before leaving.
Realising that the structure can collapse anytime, Krishna Shetty asked them to leave everything behind and run for their lives. "Gas cylinder, patre mattu batte olage bittu bega banni (leave gas cylinder, utensils and clothing and come out quickly)," he said. "Leave everything and come out quickly."
Azmatullah Shariff lives right opposite the Nanjappa building which collapsed. "Most of the labourers were busy collecting their valuables and were taking time. If fire officers had not forcibly evacuated them, there could have been a big tragedy," he said.
Thanks to the timely evacuation, no casualties or injuries were reported as the building collapsed. The fire officers also ensured that vehicles parked nearby were removed in time.
The building, built in 1962, was vacant for a few years as no one was willing to stay in it due to its dilapidated condition. Then the metro rail project started nearby and contractors rented it to house labourers. About 40 labourers had been staying there and many of them were at work on Monday morning.
Besides saving many lives, fire officer Krishna Shetty also reportedly shot the horrifying video of the building collapse that has now gone viral.