A fire broke out in the basement of Hotel Chancery Pavilion on Residency Road on Monday morning.
A few staff members noticed thick smoke coming out from basement and raised an alarm. People were evacuated from the building soon after the incident, even as seven fire tenders rushed to the spot and put out the blaze. No casualties have been reported so far. Fire personnel said that the fire seems to have been caused by an electrical short circuit.
Senior police officials including Director-General (Fire and Emergency Services) M.N. Reddi supervised the rescue operation.
It was only recently that Mr. Reddi had issues notices to high-rise buildings in the city, including malls and hotels, to ensure fire safety measures are in place. A random check had found that the measures were largely ignored, what with entry and exit ways blocked by waste and goods.
