New Delhi: A major fire broke out in a multi-storey building housing offices of banks, around 300 metres from Parliament House, here this evening trapping several people inside for about an hour.
Around 30 fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the fire which was brought under control within half-an-hour though thick plumes of smoke was seen billowing out of the four-storey building.
According to fire brigade officials, 250-300 people were inside the building when the fire broke out. Eye-witnesses said they heard a blast in the ground floor of the building and later found that fire had engulfed an air- conditioner. There were conflicting reports about where the fire broke out with some people in the building claiming that the blaze was reported from the basement, while another set it started in ground floor. Police and fire brigade officials suspect that a short circuit is the cause of the blaze.
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A fire broke out at an Delhi office building close to Parliament. Fire tenders doused the flames and rescued the people trapped inside.
A large number of employees working in banks and customers were trapped inside. While some of them managed to get out of the building before the fire spread, a number of them were trapped as the exit was engulfed in smoke.
Six sky-lifts and hydraulic elevators were pressed into service by fire brigade officials who broke the window panes and rescued people from the top floor of the building. According to fire brigade officials, some people who went to the terrace to escape the smoke were also rescued. The staffers, including women, climbed onto the ledges of windows. Rescue workers helped them onto cranes which brought them safely on the ground. Anxiety gave way to emotional scenes outside the building as colleagues hugged each other after getting out. Some family members of those working in the building also rushed to the spot after hearing about the incident.
