20150728 India Fire doused after 2 hrs, 28 rescued
India Jul 27 2015 “Building”
Dead : dead 0 or unknown Burnout : 0 or unknown Injured : injured 0 or unknown
Fire doused after 2 hrs, 28 rescued
Updated: 2015-07-29-06:56
A major fire broke out on the seventh floor of a commercial building at Netaji Subhash Place in northwest Delhi on Tuesday afternoon. Thirty-one fire tenders were rushed to the spot, which took nearly two hours to douse the blaze. Fire brigade personnel evacuated 28 people who took shelter on the ninth floor of the building comprising more than 100 offices.
The incident took place around 1.40pm when the employees of the offices located in the A-wing of ITL Towers noticed smoke coming out from the seventh floor.
“It was during the lunch hours that we noticed smoke coming out from a corner office. People from that office started screaming and running down the stairs. Within minutes, thick smoke engulfed the entire floor and nothing could be seen. We ran towards the ninth floor to save ourselves from suffocation,” said Rahul Bajaj (25), an accounts officer at one of the offices, who was later rescued by the firefighters.
Fire officials received a call around 1.56pm and 12 fire tenders were initially rushed to the spot. “When it came to our notice that the fire was big, we increased the number of the fire tenders to 31. It took us a little more than two hours to douse the blaze. No casualty or injury was reported,” said Atul Garg, deputy director, Delhi Fire Services.
Garg said, “Fire broke out in the balcony of an immigration consultancy office. The cause of the fire appears to be a short-circuit in the AC, but it’s not confirmed yet.”
Officials at the spot said the building lacked fire safety arrangements. “Fire safety equipment, including alarms, were there but the employees said they didn’t work. The building also lacks natural ventilation which didn’t allow the smoke to fade,” said a fire official.
Prem Agarwal, the owner of the office where the fire broke out, said the accident would affect his business. “Our work involves arranging education visas for our clients. We had many important documents stashed in office. It will be a big loss,” he said.
Web Source: The times of India
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Fire-doused-after-2-hrs-28-rescued/articleshow/48260486.cms