Blaze guts 9 vehicles in Hadapsar society in Pune

PUNE: Eight two-wheelers and an autorickshaw were gutted in a fire that broke out in the parking area of a housing society at Kalepadal in Hadapsar around 1am on Monday. No one suffered injuries in the incident, the fire brigade officials said.Later in the day, the Hadapsar police claimed someone set ablaze a vehicle, and the fire quickly engulfed other vehicles in the parking area. A case of mischief has been registered in this connection, and the police are investigating the case.Fire officer Anil Gaikwad told TOI, "We received an emergency call at 1am. A fire tender rushed to Vighnaharta Complex Cooperative Society, where the fire broke out. Our team doused the flames within 30 minutes. The reason for the fire is still unknown. We studied the electric meter area but did not find any issue or anything suspicious."Gaikwad said, "The residents of the four-storied building were asleep when the fire broke out, causing dense smoke in the area."Assistant inspector Sachin Thorbole of the Hadapsar police said, "We registered an FIR of mischief against unidentified persons for setting ablaze the vehicles for unknown reasons after resident Vikram Shankar Pawar (40) lodged a plaint."He said, "As of now, we suspect someone entered the society premises around 12.30am and poured inflammable material on one of the vehicles. The blaze then quickly spread."The society does not have CCTV surveillance or security guards, he said.A society resident said, "We were asleep when the incident took place. My motorcycle is completely damaged in the fire. We believe someone from the neighbourhood is behind the incident, but the motive is unknown. My motorcycle is not insured, and it will be difficult for me to bear the losses."