PUNE, Dec 25: One person was killed while four other shops were reduced to ashes in a major fire in the densely populated Khadki Bazaar area early this morning.The fire which began from Jeevan Sweet Home spread to the adjacent Anand Bhuvan hotel, New Haryana Sweet Home and the Shree Hardwares Stores. The incident took place at 6.15 am. The fire was completely brought under control by ten tenders by around 9.30 am.A 45-year old employee of Jeevan Sweet Home - Dattu alias Buva Bayaji Kamble sleeping in the loft was charred to the death. Early in the morning, one of the employees, Ram Yellappa Bhange (22), poured oil into a large pan on a stove. Another employee Shakaratu Kailas Sharma, holding a water-soaked rag tried to squeeze it. The water splashed into the boiling oil and it caught fire. The oil spilled over a heap of newspapers nearby which caught fire. The kitchen was engulfed and the fire spread in a few minutes. Bhange and Sharma managed to escape without any injuries. No one knew that Kamble was in the loft.The police said the damage was about Rs 14 lakh.
