Patna, July 2 (IANS) A massive fire broke out on Wednesday at Caelium, an upscale restaurant located on the fourth floor of Ashiana Mahendra Enclave Complex in Patna’s Saguna Mor area in Bihar, triggering panic in the locality.

An official said that the fire started in the restaurant’s kitchen and quickly spread across the premises. Fire brigade teams have been rushed to the spot and launched an operation to control the blaze, while restaurant staff also attempted to douse the fire.

Sources indicated that some people were trapped inside the restaurant, prompting rescue efforts by authorities and staff.

The firefighters managed to evacuate the customers and restaurant staff with the help of local people.

A large crowd gathered around the complex as smoke billowed from the building, leading to chaos in the area.

The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, but initial suspicion points towards a possible short circuit.

The official said that police have launched an investigation to determine the precise cause.

Tensions have also flared at the site as the restaurant owner and staff accused the police of delayed action in extinguishing the fire, leading to a heated scuffle between police personnel, restaurant employees, and bouncers on the road outside the building.

A video of a scuffle also surfaced on social media, where some employees and bouncers were allegedly involved in manhandling the police personnel on the road. However, the situation was brought under control after significant effort.

The firefighters have used more than 12 fire tenders and a hydraulic machine to reach the fourth floor to douse the flames.

Police officials stated that further investigation is underway to establish the cause and assess the extent of damage. No immediate information on casualties or injuries has been confirmed.

“We will check whether the restaurant owner has maintained the fire norms or not. We are also verifying the fire license,” said an officer of the fire department.

Meanwhile, the restaurant owner claimed that assets of more than Rs 30 lakh were gutted in this mishap.

–IANS

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