Several shops gutted in Delhi fires (Roundup)

Over 30 shops and an NIIT centre were gutted in two separate fire incidents Monday. Three fire service officials suffered minor injuries.

The first incident was reported from A-block in Connaught Place where a fire broke out around 7.50 a.m. inside an NIIT (National Institute of Information Technology) computer training centre situated on the first floor of a commercial building.

Around 15 fire tenders rushed to the spot and it took around three hours to douse the fire which was caused by a short-circuit.

"Two fire officials received minor burn injuries while one had a minor cut," Delhi Fire Service (Director) A.K. Sharma told IANS.

In the second incident, a fire broke out in Kinari Bazaar in old Delhi's Chandni Chowk area - a wholesale retail market specialising in wedding attire and accessories - around 2.30 p.m.

Around 20 fire tenders reached the spot and the fire was doused completely by 6 p.m.

The fire was caused by a short circuit in an electricity transformer and soon spread to a nearby building which houses over 40 shops.

Over 30 shops were gutted in the fire, said fire officials, estimating that the losses would be in lakhs of rupees.

"Firefighters faced a lot of difficulties in reaching the spot because of the narrow lanes in the area," he added.