A major tragedy was averted in congested Karan Nagar locality here in the wee hours on Friday when fire broke out from a commercial building.
The blaze was, however, contained soon with minimum loss to the property
Eyewitnesses said office of Sona Tradeways, a distributor for LPG, caught fire at around 6 am. The office is located in the first floor of a five-storey building which houses around 40 different offices and business establishments.
Spotting the smoke billowing out of the first floor, a watchman alerted the nearby residents.
“A Chowkidar raised alarm and immediately unlocked the main entrance of the complex,” said a local. “Soon plumes of smoke started emanating from the building. We rushed to see what was happening,” said the resident.
Another resident, Sandeep Mawa said phone the Fire and Emergency Services about the fire in the locality.
Soon, firefighters were rushed to the spot. They focused on preventing the fire from spreading which could have otherwise proved disastrous in the congested area that has over the years emerged as a major commercial hub.
“There was no difficulty in accessing the area as it has direct access through main road,” said an official of Fire and Emergency Service department.
“We first controlled the flames from outside and then decided to enter the office immediately for cooling operation,” he said, adding the fire was doused in less than an hour.
“The fire had damaged furniture and other items in the office. A computer and some files have also got damaged,” said Nazir Ahmad, proprietor Sona Tradeways. He said cause of fire seemed to be a short circuit.