Fire at shop in Lajpat Nagar

A fire broke out at a shop in Lajpat Nagar area in south-east Delhi this evening, following which three fire tenders were rushed to the spot and nearby buildings were evacuated, officials said.
However, no casualties were reported in the incident in Lajpat Nagar-IV area, suspected to have been caused by short circuit, a police official said.
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Later in the day, police received a complaint in connection with the incident and a case under IPC Section 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house, etc) was registered against unknown persons, a senior police official said.

The exact cause of the fire is not known yet, he said.
The fire broke out between the ceiling and the false ceiling on the fourth floor which houses the offices of the top officials in the media house, a conference hall, a canteen and also accommodates the HR and marketing departments.

The challenge for the firefighters was smoke which could not excape the building because of ventillation issues, a fire official who was leading a team said.
The operation involved a skylift, with the help of which the firefighters reached out to the two labourers who were trapped on the roof and also to the floors directly.

Employees in the building were alerted about the incident by the fire alarm and took different staircases to come out of the premises, an employee said.
Cooling operation in the building continued till evening.