A massive fire broke out in three buildings in Delhi's Azad market area on Saturday morning and one of them, a four-storey structure, collapsed, officials said.
Five people suffered minor injuries after a cylinder exploded at a shop. It is suspected that the cause of the fire was a short circuit in an electric pole, police said.
Twenty fire tenders were rushed to the spot after information about the blaze was received, the fire department officials said.
The fire was brought under control around 7:30 am and doused by around 8:30 am, they said, adding that cooling operations are underway.
A senior police officer said that police after receiving information about the incident at the market's main road area, called in the fire tenders.
The building, where the fire broke out, collapsed and it housed some small shops which sold goods like paint, tarpaulin sheets and bags, the officer said.
The cylinder explosion took place in a welding shop, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said.
Five people suffered minor injuries due to splinters from the explosion and they are now safe, he said, adding that legal action has been initiated,
Disaster management teams were deployed and earthmoving machines were called to remove the debris from the collapsed building, the DCP said.
A car also caught fire during the incident, police said.
According to police, it is suspected that the fire broke out due to a short circuit in an electric pole. The investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause.
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