Minor Fire At Ministry Of Home Affairs Office, No Casualties Reported

Delhi Fire Service says it received a call about the fire at 9.22 am and it was doused by 9.35 am. Cause of fire yet to be ascertained.

DFS official said photocopier, computers and some documents had caught fire.

Source : Representational Image/Getty

A minor fire broke out on the second floor of the North Block – which houses the ministries of home affairs, and personnel, public grievances and pensions – on Tuesday morning. No casualties were reported. The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) said it received a call about the fire at 9.22 am and it was doused by 9.35 am, according to reports by PTI and IANS.

“A total of seven fire tenders were rushed to the spot and flames were doused by 9.35 am,” a senior DFS official was quoted by PTI. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, the official said, adding that a photocopier, computers and some documents had caught fire.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah was not present in the building when the fire erupted, but several senior officers were, PTI quoted sources as saying.

2012 Fire At MHA

This isn’t the first instance of fire on the second floor of the North Block. In 2012, a minor fire erupted close to the offices of the home minister. It was doused and no major damage was reported.

In response to an RTI plea filed by the BJP’s Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga, the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) said their site inspection had revealed “cardboards being used as mats, water bottles, cigarette stubs, etc…” 

“It was also found that immediately above the fire-affected portion, the place was being used by some persons regularly for sitting and other activities,” it added, saying the cause of the fire seemed to be a burning bidi or cigarette stubs thrown among waste papers.

Smoking has been banned in public spaces, including government and private offices, since 2008.