Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Dec 28: A fire broke out in the main building of the Civil Secretariat here today but was immediately brought under control by the men and machinery of the Department of Fire and Emergency Services, which acted swiftly and promptly.
According to the reports, the fire was reported from the retiring room of the Vice Chairperson of the Khadi and Village Industries Board Hina Shafi Bhat. The fire started at the room on the top floor of the multi-storey building in the heart of the city around 1 pm.
A fire tender posted at the Secretariat, was immediately pressed into service and was joined by other fire tenders rushed from six other stations in the vicinity of the building, reports said.
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As per police sources, the fire was brought under control within an hour but a report about the cause of fire and the extent of damage was awaited. However, sources said there was no casualty or injuries to anyone in the fire incident.
Hina Shafi Bhat told officials that she noticed the fire in her retiring room after sensing the smell of burning wires and alerted the staff. “The fire service was informed, and we also tried to douse the flames using the fire extinguishers,” she said, indicating that the fire was apparently caused by a short circuit.
Meanwhile, DG Fire and Emergency Services Department of J&K Alok Kumar who himself led from the front to fight the huge fire, told Excelsior that with their quick and speedy response, the fire was restricted to the place where it originated and within 20 minutes, they completely doused the flames and thus, averted huge loss of life and property.
Kumar said that besides pressing into fire tenders, a truck mounted aerial platform of Bronto Skylift was also used in the operation which helped a lot in dousing flames. The Officer said during the operation, two of their fire men received minor injuries but they are now stable.