Bengaluru, Aug. 17 -- In the early hours of Saturday morning, a devastating fire engulfed a plastic mat production unit in the Nagarathpet locality of central Bengaluru, tragically claiming the lives of five individuals. The victims included a family of four and a neighbour who were all caught in the blaze as it tore through the premises.

The deceased were identified as 38-year-old Madan Kumar, his wife Sangeetha (33) and their two young sons - Nitish, aged 7, and Vihan, aged 5. A neighbour, Suresh Kumar, aged 26, also died in the fire.

According to fire officials, the control room received an emergency alert at around 3:15 am. Firefighters immediately dispatched five water tankers to battle the flames. It is not yet clear if the mortal...