A fire broke out late Wednesday night due to a short circuit at the State Bank of India (SBI) branch located on the Akbarpur-Shergarh road in Tarauli village, under the jurisdiction of the Chhata police station. The fire damaged some of the furniture and electrical equipment inside the bank. Villagers became suspicious that something was amiss when they heard the bank’s generator repeatedly turning on and off.
Following an alert from the villagers, the branch manager arrived at the scene and, with the help of local residents, managed to bring the fire under control. Fortunately, there were no casualties. The SBI branch was previously located in the main market of Tarauli but was shifted to a new building on the Akbarpur-Shergarh road on October 12. On Wednesday evening at 7:00 PM, the branch manager, Hemant Kumar, had closed the bank and left for home. Around 2:00 AM, a short circuit triggered a fire. As a result, the bank’s generator began cycling on and off repeatedly. A local villager named Vijay, who lives nearby, heard the generator and suspected that something was wrong; he immediately called the branch manager to inform him. Meanwhile, another villager, Vakil, arranged for the power supply to the building to be cut off upon learning of the fire.
This helped in bringing the blaze under control. The branch manager arrived at the bank at 3:00 AM, unlocked the premises, and discovered the fire. He, along with the villagers, extinguished the flames using water. Upon receiving information about the incident, the Chhata police also arrived at the scene. Some furniture and electrical equipment were damaged in the fire. The incident has been reported to the bank’s senior officials.
