Fire Breaks Out at Bank of India Building on Pune’s Laxmi Road; No Injuries Reported
Reported by Shoaib Tadvi
Laxmi Road, 29th September 2026: A fire broke out at the Bank of India building near Shagun Chowk on Laxmi Road in Pune on Tuesday morning, prompting a major firefighting operation by the Pune Fire Brigade. No injuries or casualties were reported in the incident.
The Pune Fire Brigade control room received the fire call at around 10:11 am, following which four fire tenders and three water tankers from the Central, Kasba, Erandwane, Naidu and Kondhwa fire stations were dispatched to the spot.
Firefighters found that the blaze had broken out on the sixth floor of the RCC building, which consists of a lower ground floor, ground floor and six upper floors. The approximately 80-by-80-foot hall on the sixth floor had been divided into four offices using plywood partitions. A battery backup room was also located on the floor.
According to the fire brigade, the fire reportedly started in an AC unit inside one of the offices. A security guard initially attempted to control the fire using a fire extinguisher. However, when the fire continued to spread, the fire brigade was alerted.
Chief Fire Officer Ganesh Sonune said the location of the building and the presence of adjoining structures made it important to contain the fire quickly.
«“Considering that the building is located in a busy area of Laxmi Road and there are other buildings in close proximity, our priority was to prevent the fire from spreading. Firefighters immediately used hose lines, breathing apparatus, ropes and exhaust blowers to bring the situation under control. Fortunately, there were no injuries or casualties,” Sonune said.»
The firefighting operation continued for nearly an hour before the blaze was brought under control.
Station Duty Officer Pankaj Jagtap said firefighters focused on the affected sixth-floor area and worked to prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the building.
«“The fire had affected the office area on the sixth floor, where several electrical and office-related items were present. Our personnel entered the affected area with the necessary equipment and worked systematically to contain the flames. The timely response helped prevent the fire from spreading further,” Jagtap said.»
A significant amount of property was damaged in the incident, including computers, tables, chairs, air conditioners, electrical wiring, batteries, printers, photocopy machines and other office equipment.
The fire brigade also reported that no permanent firefighting installation was found at the premises. However, fire extinguishers, a fire alarm system and a detection system were reportedly present.
Around 30 firefighters participated in the operation under the leadership of Chief Fire Officer Ganesh Sonune. Fire Officers Pankaj Jagtap, Kamlesh Chaudhary and Nilesh Mahajan, along with several fire brigade personnel, were involved in the operation.
Officials from the Pune Municipal Corporation’s Disaster Management Department and Building Department, along with police and MSEDCL personnel, were also present at the site.
The exact cause of the fire is yet to be established.
