New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) A fire broke out on the second floor of the Karkardooma Court complex in New Delhi early on Sunday morning, officials said.

The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) said that the fire broke out at around 5:00 a.m. on Sunday inside a ‘scanning room’ located near Gate No. 4 on the second floor of the Karkardooma Court complex.

“A call was received around 5:22 a.m., and eight fire tenders immediately rushed to the scene,” the DFS said.

After over half an hour of efforts, at 6:05 a.m., Divisional Officer (DO) Mukesh Verma sent a ‘stop message’, confirming that the fire had been completely brought under control.

Officials said that no reports of loss of life, property damage, or injuries were reported in this incident.

Meanwhile, the officials said that it is unclear how the blaze erupted, and an investigation is underway to ascertain the cause.

Speaking to IANS about the incident, Rajendra Pal, an Advocate, said, “An incident of fire occurred around 5: 00 in the morning. There is a canteen here, and on the second floor, near the canteen, old files and records are kept. These files appear to be old records, and some of them have been damaged.”

“The exact extent of the loss will be known after an investigation into how many files were burnt, what records were affected,” he added.

Further details are awaited.

This comes just days after a massive fire at a B&B in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar claimed 21 lives, including 13 foreigners, and injured dozens of others.

Following this, police registered a case under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, mischief by fire, negligence endangering human life, causing grievous hurt through negligence, damage to property, and negligent conduct related to fire safety.

So far, police have arrested the hotel’s owner, Lavkesh Bajaj, and cook, Keshav Negi.

The officials said that the hotel only had permission to operate six rooms; however, it was operating on over 20.

Additionally, the hotel had reportedly been operating for seven to eight years without obtaining a mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Delhi Fire Services, officials said.

Investigation into the tragic fire is continuing, and further details are awaited.

Meanwhile, the Delhi authorities have initiated a broader crackdown on safety violations across the city.

Delhi Mayor Pravesh Wahi announced the formation of a joint task force following a high-level meeting convened by the Lieutenant Governor. The task force includes officials from the district administration, police, and civic bodies and has been tasked with conducting inspections of commercial establishments and lodging facilities.

According to Wahi, properties found violating safety regulations or operating without necessary approvals will face immediate action, including sealing of premises.

Moreover, forensic examinations are underway. Investigators have reportedly gathered evidence. The current focus is also on determining whether negligence, regulatory violations, or other factors contributed to the deadly fire.

–IANS

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