New Delhi:
A fire today broke out at the Indian Institute of Technology ((IIT) campus in Delhi, gutting property worth several lakhs of rupees, although nobody was injured in the incident, officials said.
The blaze started at a chemistry laboratory on the third floor of a high-rise building inside the campus with Delhi Fire Services Director AK Sharma saying that the "cause of the fire could be short circuit".
Fire officials said they received a call at 11.25 am about the blaze, following which five fire tenders were rushed to the spot. The blaze was doused by 12:15 pm.
People living in the vicinity of the campus of the premier engineering college said they heard at least four minor blasts during the blaze.
A fire official said it was probably the batteries kept in the laboratory which had exploded in the heat generated by the blaze.
Nobody was injured in the incident as the fire was confined to only one block of the building which was evacuated as a precautionary measure.
Students in a nearby boy's hostel, too, vacated their building.
"We are trying to determine the cause of the fire with the help of IIT officials. Although the chemistry lab had flammable material, it was present in small quantities. We are looking into all possibilities," Sharma said.