New CCTV footage showing welding work being done and sparks from it falling on a stack of wooden planks inside the Rajkot game zone, where a devastating fire killed over 25 people, including nine children, has emerged.
The video shows welding work underway on what appeared to be in the ceiling of an area in the game zone. Sparks due to the welding could be seen falling on several stacks of wooden planks lying below. In only a matter of a few minutes, smoke could be seen coming out from a corner before it flares up and turns into a massive blaze.
The fire, which took place on Saturday (May 25), burnt the entire game zone down. The bodies were charred beyond recognition and the DNA samples of the victims as well as their relatives were collected for identification.
Three people have been arrested in the incident, including the owner and manager of the TRP game zone. Rajkot Police have filed a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against six people under IPC Sections 304, 308, 337, 338, and 114. Four people named in the FIR are on the run, and the crime branch has formed four different teams to arrest the four accused.
Officials told India Today on Sunday that the game zone lacked a No Objective Certificate (NOC) from the fire department. The place had only one route that served as both entry and exit points. Furthermore, thousands of litres of diesel and petrol were stored in various pockets of the game zone, and the presence of such huge quantities of inflammable substances caused the fire to spread fast.
Though the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, Rajkot District Magistrate told India Today that electrical reasons might have been the reason. Investigations are underway to find out the exact cause of the massive blaze.
