Major fire in Allahabad building, no one injured

LUCKNOW - A major fire broke out Friday in a four-storey commercial building in the busy Jonsenganj area of Uttar Pradesh’s Allahabad district, police said. No one was injured.

“At least 15 fire tenders, including several from the army, have been pressed into service. They have been trying to control the inferno for the last five hours,” Superintendent of Police (City) S.S. Bhagel told reporters in Allahabad, some 200-km from Lucknow.

According to police, the information about the fire was first received around 7 a.m.

“We are still to douse the fire completely. Evacuating the commercial building was a challenge for us, but we managed it successfully with the help of the army,” police inspector Awadh Kishore told reporters.

“The commercial building was used to store goods made of leather and foam,” he added.

Police said preliminary investigations revealed that the incident took place due to an electrical short-circuit on the second floor of the building.