60 rescued in blaze at complex

Delhi Fire Service rescued around 60 people after a major fire broke out in the basement of a commercial complex at Karampura in west Delhi on Saturday. No one was injured in the blaze.

According to a DFS official, thick plume of smoke was reported from Shivalik Commercial Complex around 12 pm. An initial probe revealed that the fire started at the circuit box in the basement of the building.

“The smoke from the fire indicated that it probably started from the burning of the electrical wiring, due to a short circuit. We managed to rescue around 60 people from the building when the fire was being brought under control,” the official said. Fifteen fire tenders fought for over an hour to douse the flames.

While many people working in several offices and customers managed to get out of the building before the fire spread, a number of them were trapped as the exits were full of smoke. They were rescued with the help of hydraulic cranes from the top floor of the building.

“There are as many as 70 offices in the building where over 1,000 employees work daily. As there is just a single staircase present to reach at the top floor, any unfortunate incident can take place in the building,” said an eyewitness, Tarun Negi.
A case has been registered at Moti Nagar police station and further investigation is in progress to ascertain the exact cause of the fire.

House gutted in fire

A house was gutted in a fire which broke out after a cooking gas cylinder exploded in Karkar Model village on Saturday, reports PTI from Ghaziabad. The rented house of one Ramjeet Singh was destroyed in the blaze, fire station officer, Indirapuram, Vijay Kumar, said. No one was injured in the incident, he said. According to Ramjeet, the fire incident caused him a financial loss of Rs 3 lakh, which included Rs 50,000 in cash.