A fire broke out in the office of a national daily in central Delhi’s ITO on Sunday. It took 25 fire tenders and three hours to completely douse the flames.
Around 4.45 p.m., the Times of India building at Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg was enveloped in thick black smoke billowing from the back. The flames, which started from the first floor, soon spread to all floors.
Officials from the Delhi Fire Services said the entire building was evacuated immediately and no one was injured.
More fire tenders
“The fire started from the first floor and initially five fire tenders were deployed. But within a few minutes, the blaze intensified and we had to get more tenders to work,” a senior fire official said.
This is the second time that the building has been engulfed in fire. In May last year, a similar fire broke out in the building’s fourth floor.
Employees of the media house said the in-house fire hydrants were put to use to bring the fire under control after the fire started. However, flames soon spread across the building. Along with the regular tenders, a Bronto truck was used to reach the higher floors.
Calm evacuation
“The fire alarms started ringing, but there was no panic. Everyone stepped out of their offices and walked down very calmly. We didn’t think the fire would get this bad. It was when we reached down that we realised the intensity,” said a media professional.
Though the exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, fire officials said that it seemed like a case of short circuit. G.C Mishra, the Director of the Delhi Fire Services, said though the fire was of medium intensity, smoke was emanating from the building for several hours.
“The operation did not take much effort mainly because it was a Sunday and the service road outside the building was fairly clear. Because of encroachment and unauthorised parking, it was difficult for the tenders to reach the back of the building, from where the fire started,” Mr. Mishra said.
