Fire breaks out in Ministry of Education office in Delhi’s ITO
Residents say an air-conditioner in the house was repaired shortly before the fire, raising suspicions of an AC-related malfunction
A massive fire broke out on the second floor of a Ministry of Education office housed within the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) campus in Delhi's ITO area on Monday, prompting a large-scale firefighting operation and the evacuation of all occupants.
According to the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), a distress call was received at around 9:37 am, following which eight fire tenders were rushed to the spot.
Officials said the blaze originated on the second floor of the SPA building, where offices of the Ministry of Education are located. As smoke spread through the premises, occupants were evacuated as a precaution before firefighters began efforts to contain the fire.
"Eight fire tenders were dispatched immediately after receiving information about the incident. Firefighting operations are underway," a DFS official said.
No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident.
Authorities said the cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained and an investigation has been launched to determine what triggered the blaze.
The incident comes a day after another major fire was reported in North-West Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar area.
On Sunday night, a three-storey residential building in Indira Vihar was engulfed in flames after a fire broke out among household belongings, officials said. Around six fire tenders were deployed to contain the blaze after the fire department received an alert at approximately 10:30 pm.
Residents told authorities that an air-conditioning unit in the house had been repaired shortly before the fire, leading to speculation about a possible AC-related malfunction. However, officials said the exact cause remains under investigation.
"The flames spread rapidly and engulfed the entire building within a short period," rescue officials said.
No casualties were reported in the Mukherjee Nagar incident either.
Police and fire authorities are investigating both incidents as concerns grow over a series of fire-related emergencies reported in the national capital amid soaring temperatures.
With IANS inputs