Surat: A fire broke out at the congruously named Inferno Pizza restaurant in the Mota Varachha area in the early hours of Saturday. The blaze engulfed the establishment, located on the second floor of Opera Business Hub at Lajamni Chowk, and is suspected to have started due to a short circuit. There were no casualties.The fire began after midnight, during a shower of rain. Surat Fire and Emergency Services (SFES) received an emergency call at 1.08am, after which teams from the Mota Varachha fire station rushed to the spot. By the time crews arrived, the flames had grown large and spread through the restaurant.Fire officials confirmed that there was an explosion in an air conditioner unit, which they said worsened the fire. To prevent the fire spreading to other parts of the building, more teams were deployed. Glasses on the facade cracked due to the blast and fire.Eight firefighting vehicles from four fire stations participated in the operation, working for over an hour to douse the blaze. AS the restaurant was closed, no staff or patrons were inside.“It is suspected that the fire began due to a short circuit. When we arrived, it had already spread in the restaurant and our teams had to firefight by spraying water from the ground floor,” a fire official said.Assessment of the extent of damage to the restaurant and surrounding premises is underway. Further investigation will be conducted to confirm the cause of the fire and to evaluate electrical safety conditions at the site.
