Pre-Dawn Blaze Engulfs Three-Storey Banquet Hall in Gorakhpur; One Staff Member Dead

A devastating fire consumed the Waterways Restaurant & Banquet, a prominent three-storey establishment situated near the Taramandal Buddhist Museum in Gorakhpur, resulting in the tragic death of one staff member and inflicting extensive structural damage, as confirmed by local authorities. The incident, which erupted in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, escalated rapidly, transforming the venue into a towering inferno that challenged emergency response capabilities and highlighted vulnerabilities in commercial building safety protocols.

The inferno originated around 5 am, with ferocious flames swiftly propagating through all levels of the building, accompanied by thick plumes of smoke that blanketed the surrounding area and provoked considerable panic among nearby residents and passersby. Chief Fire Officer Santosh Kumar detailed that the fire control room was notified at precisely 5:16 am, leading to the swift mobilization of four fire tenders equipped to combat large-scale blazes in urban settings.

Protracted firefighting operations, spanning three hours of relentless effort, were essential to bring the fire under control, involving coordinated maneuvers to prevent spread to adjacent properties. In the course of meticulous search and rescue activities within the smoke-laden interior, personnel located the lifeless body of a staff member confined in a washroom, where overwhelming suffocation appears to have led to his untimely demise. The deceased, identified as Purushottam, a 55-year-old housekeeping worker hailing from Gonda district in Uttar Pradesh, was extracted unconscious and transported urgently to a nearby hospital, only to be declared dead by attending physicians.

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Upon arrival at the scene, teams from Ramgarhtal police station and the fire department confronted a structure fully engulfed in flames, necessitating the initial deployment of continuous high-pressure water jets to subdue external fire activity before safe entry could be attempted. Preliminary investigations conducted by authorities point to an electrical short-circuit as the likely catalyst for the blaze, prompting a deeper forensic examination to rule out other potential factors. Concurrently, comprehensive evaluations are underway to quantify the monetary losses sustained by the banquet hall, which served as a key venue for social gatherings in the region.

Superintendent of Police (City) Abhinav Tyagi verified that the fire has been entirely extinguished, with cooling operations completed to eliminate any risk of re-ignition, and the bereaved family of the victim duly informed to facilitate necessary arrangements. Detailed damage assessments continue, encompassing structural integrity checks and inventory of destroyed assets, as officials emphasize the need for enhanced fire prevention measures in similar establishments to avert future tragedies.

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