Fire at Civil Secretariat in Jammu

Jammu, Dec 28 (PTI) A fire broke out in the main building of the Civil Secretariat here on Wednesday, but was immediately brought under control, officials said.

The fire was reported from the retiring room of the vice chairperson of the Khadi and Village Industries Board Hina Shafi Bhat, they said.

The fire started at the room on the top floor of the multi-floor building in the heart of the city around 1 pm, according to the officials.

A fire tender of the fire and emergency department, posted at the secretariat, was immediately pressed into service and was joined by fire tenders rushed from six other stations in the vicinity of the building, the officials said.

They said the fire was brought under control but a report about the cause of fire and the extent of damage was awaited.

However, there was no casualty in the fire, the officials said.

When contacted, Bhat said she noticed the fire in her retiring room after sensing the smell of burning wires and alerted the staff.

“The fire service was informed, and we also tried to douse the flames using the fire extinguishers,” she said, indicating that the fire was apparently caused by a short circuit.