BENGALURU: What could have turned into a major tragedy was narrowly averted in Bengaluru’s Nandini Layout, where around 50 young women escaped a raging fire by jumping from their building to safety.The incident occurred on Sunday night.A major fire broke out in an LED banner godown. The flames quickly started spreading to adjacent buildings, including a four-storey building that housed a ladies’ paying guest (PG) accommodation, where nearly 50 women were staying.Within minutes, the smoke engulfed the entire PG, leaving the residents trapped and panicked. With no time to wait and the exit blocked, the women made a desperate decision—risking their lives, they climbed over the compound wall and jumped from the building to escape the flames.Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos as the women screamed for help and leapt one after another to save themselves. Remarkably, all of them survived, with only minor injuries reported while jumping.Authorities said the quick thinking and courage of the residents helped prevent a far greater disaster. Had they hesitated, the outcome could have been catastrophic. The fire also damaged a couple of vehicles parked on the roadside before fire and emergency services officials doused the flames. The adjacent buildings’ windows shattered in the incident. Nandini Layout police have taken up the case and are investigating.
