42 evacuated as fire breaks out in 6-storey commercial building in Indore

As many as 42 people were evacuated after a fire broke out on the second floor of a six-storey commercial building here on Tuesday night, a civic official said.

There was a chaotic situation inside the building, located near Vijay Nagar intersection and housing shops and offices, but the fire was doused in time, he said.

Fire department assistant sub-inspector (ASI) Sushil Kumar Dubey told PTI, "When we reached the spot, the building was filled with smoke. Some people called over the phone and told us they were trapped inside."

Fire department teams safely evacuated 42 people, he said.

"One of these people has an injury in the thumb, while two people suffered minor problems due to smoke," he added.

It was suspected that the blaze broke out either due to the diyas (earthen lamps) put up in the building to mark 'Devuthani Ekadashi' or a short circuit, Dubey said.

Indore district collector Ashish Singh and top police officials reached the spot and took charge of the rescue operation.

"The fire probably broke out on the second floor due to a short circuit. Smoke also reached the upper floors and at least 15 people got trapped. We have safely evacuated these people," Singh had told reporters earlier.

The building had a fire hydrant but it could not be used amid the confusion, he said.