Fire in Connaught Place bank, 13 rescued

As many as 13 persons were rescued from the first floor of a bank in New Delhi’s Connaught Place area where a fire broke out around 11:45 am on Tuesday.

The 13 persons were trapped near their desks as the exit point of the floor was already in flames. The glasses of nearly a dozen windows had shattered and the firefighters had to resort to a ladder. 

“The entrapped bank officials were severely suffocated and cried for help. The <g data-gr-id="49">fire-fighters</g> had to cut the window grills to create an escape route and finally saved their lives by bringing them down one after another. All 13 of them were rushed to Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital,” said a fire official.

The fire was reported around 11.45 am at a branch of the Oriental Bank of Commerce on the rear side of <g data-gr-id="51">E-block</g> in Connaught Place. As many as 12 fire tenders were rushed to the spot immediately and it took them nearly two hours to douse the flames, after which a cooling operation was launched, said the official. He further <g data-gr-id="45">said,</g> preliminary investigation of the incident revealed that the fire originated from an electric cable, causing a ‘shock’ and leading to a short-circuit.

“Around 65 percent fire incidents in summer are caused by electrical overload and related problems, which include sub-standard wiring, getting wiring done by unqualified engineers, use of multiple plugs at one point and lack of fire safety equipment,” said AK Sharma, Director of Delhi Fire Services. He further said that such incidents, in general, can be avoided by circuit <g data-gr-id="50">beakers</g>, proper joint clips and avoid going beyond the sanctioned load with excessive appliances — especially air-conditioner and other high electricity-consuming ones.

On May 5, a fire broke out at the premises of a food supplying unit on the rear side of the F-block in Connaught Place, which is adjacent to <g data-gr-id="34">E-block</g> where Tuesday’s fire broke out. Both blocks are separated by one radial road. Five fire tenders were rushed to the spot and no casualties were reported. However, the building was already evacuated by the time the fire tenders arrived.

In August 2014, a massive fire was reported at the Hamilton House in the <g data-gr-id="39">A-block</g> of Connaught Place, which is adjacent to the spot of the May 5 fire. Both the blocks are separated by two Radial Roads and the Palika Market. It took as many as 15 fire tenders and seven hours to douse the fire. <g data-gr-id="40">Shop-owners</g> in the area then alleged that the fire was caused by power overload, faulty wiring and negligence on <g data-gr-id="36">part</g> of some big-shot showrooms and outlets operating in the area.

In November 2012, another massive fire was reported at Himalaya House in outer peripheries of Connaught Place. It took around three hours to douse it despite a deployment of around 30 fire tenders.