Nagpur: A major tragedy was averted after alert staff of a hotel on Tagore Road in Civil Lines swiftly contained a fire that broke out on Tuesday evening.The incident occurred in ‘Oak Ignatia’, a basement-plus-ground-plus-four-storey building housing the restaurant ‘Veggietude’ on the first floor. Fire officer Devendra Shamkule said the blaze is suspected to have originated in the kitchen’s ducting system, which suffered heavy smoke damage. Electrical wiring in the affected section was also damaged.At around 6.38pm, employees noticed smoke from the ducting and immediately used fire extinguishers to contain the blaze, preventing it from spreading. “Their timely response averted a serious incident,” Shamkule said.The restaurant, with a seating capacity of around 80, had staff present at the time. No injuries were reported.The fire damaged ducting, wiring, and some stored vegetables and raw materials. The loss is estimated at around Rs70,000.The exact cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and further investigation is underway. Authorities said the building is structurally safe, with no major damage beyond the affected area.
