A minor fire broke out in Shastri Bhawan in New Delhi district area on Wednesday morning. The Fire Department received a call about the blaze around 9.40 am. Delhi Fire Service was alerted by the security wing of the Shastri Bhawan after they noticed thick fog billowing out of a window on the seventh floor. Immediately the floors were evacuated and emergency measures were put in place.
According to the police, the incident took place inside room number 748 that houses one of the offices of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. A fire official said the blaze started on the seventh floor of the building. “It was a minor fire and was doused within hour. The call was received at 9:40am and was under control at 10:50am,” said Chief of Delhi Fire Services AK Sharma. The fire started in an office of the Information Broadcasting Ministry.
Some furniture and computer peripherals were gutted in the fire. Two employees were present in the room when the fire started but they were taken to safety and no casualty was reported. Although the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, prima facie it seems that a short circuit may have caused the fire. Senior police officials of the New Delhi district inspected the spot and a case under appropriate sections has been registered at Parliament Street police station.