Rajkot: A massive fire broke out on the fifth and sixth floors of the Atlantis Building on 150 Feet Ring Road in the city this morning, trapping more than 30 people inside. The tragic incident claimed the lives of three people, while one injured person is currently undergoing treatment at the civil hospital.

It has now come to light that all three deceased were not residents of the building but had come to deliver orders from Swiggy and Blinkit apps.

As the fire spread, the fire brigade rescued residents using a hydraulic lift. The building houses several prominent jewellers and doctors of Rajkot. Firefighters battled the blaze for nearly one and a half to two hours, using continuous water jets to bring it under complete control. Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire originated due to a short circuit in a sixth-floor flat where furniture work was in progress.

SP B.J. Chaudhary stated that the fire broke out between 9 and 10 AM at the Atlantis Building, affecting the fifth and sixth floors. “Three people have lost their lives, and one injured person has been admitted to the hospital for treatment. All residents of the building have been evacuated. The fire has been brought under control, and the situation is currently normal,” he added.

The deceased have been identified as Ajaybhai Khimjibhai Makwana (31), Kalpeshbhai Leva, and Mayurbhai Leva. Ajaybhai, a resident of Veer Savarkar Nagar, Rajkot, worked as a Swiggy delivery agent. He was inside the building making a delivery when he got trapped in the fire. Ajaybhai leaves behind his 3.5-year-old daughter, Disha, and was the elder of two brothers in his family.

Meanwhile, the other two deceased, Kalpesh and Mayur, were cousins. Kalpesh worked as a delivery rider for Blinkit and had gone to deliver an order on the 10th floor. Since it was a Holi holiday, his cousin Mayur, a college student, had accompanied him. The two lived in a PG in the city. Kalpesh had been married just a month ago and was originally from Una taluka.

While the initial cause of the fire is suspected to be a short circuit, FSL and PGVCL teams have been called to determine the exact cause. Malviyanagar police have launched an accidental death investigation and are checking whether the building had a fire NOC and BU permission. Meanwhile, the bodies have been sent for postmortem, and necessary legal action is underway.

Rajkot Police Commissioner Brijesh Jha, BJP leader Bharat Boghra, and MLA Darshita Shah visited the hospital to assess the situation. Collector Prabhav Joshi and DCP Crime Parthrajsinh Gohil also reached the hospital to oversee rescue operations. DeshGujarat