20230122 Short-circuit triggers fire at Delhi’s Connaught Place restaurant, none hurt
India Jan 22 2023 “Building” “Stores”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 1 to 29 Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Short-circuit triggers fire at Delhi’s Connaught Place restaurant, none hurt
Updated: 2023-01-22
NEW DELHI: A fire broke out at a restaurant in the F block of Connaught Place on Saturday morning due to a suspected short-circuit, police said. No one was injured in the incident. Atul Garg, director, Delhi Fire Services (DFS), said they received information regarding the fire at 8.51 am, following which 13 fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
According to police, two men, including a guard, were sleeping inside the restaurant at the time of the incident. One of them woke up and saw smoke. They immediately came down and alerted others. A PCR call was made to the cops, and the fire department was alerted.
A team led by assistant divisional officer Somvir Singh entered the restaurant and broke some window panes, through which smoke came out. “We were able to contain the fire within the hotel itself. The restaurant had fire safety equipment. The fire was on the kitchen side. There was another escape route in the restaurant. We sent one team there, and another team entered through the main door and started dousing the fire,” the officer said, adding that it took more than two hours to douse the fire.
The restaurant is on the first floor of the F block, close to two other restaurants. On the ground floor, there are showrooms for shoes and clothes and also a hot drinks shop. “No other shops have been affected, but smoke came inside shops and restaurants near the spot,” a shop owner said.
Vikram Badhwar, secretary of the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA), said since the incident happened in the morning, there were no injuries or casualties.
He claimed that new restaurants and bars in Connaught Place have not been built with proper planning. The width of the staircase is not as per plan, and several new bars and restaurants operate in small spaces, he said.
Atul Bhargava, president of the New Delhi Traders’ Association (NDTA), said it was an unfortunate incident. “We have asked restaurants, bars, and other shop owners to take all possible efforts to ensure that no fire incident happens. They have been asked to make sure there are proper fire safety arrangements,” he said.
Last year, in July, a fire broke out at a restaurant in the outer circle of Connaught Place. The fire department had said that the blaze was reported in the morning and no one was injured.
Web Source: The Times of India