Around 80 people were rescued after a fire broke out in the basement of a building in southeast Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar market on Wednesday. According to an eyewitness, as the fire broke out, the people in the three-story building came out of the windows and stood on parapets, while waiting for rescue teams.

The fire started in the electrical panel of the building. A senior fire official said the information about the fire was received at 2.54 P.M. and 10 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. All the people on the other floors of the building were safely rescued.

The ground and first floors of the building housed a private bank and a private company was operating on the second and third floors, the fire officials said.

Around 80 people were rescued safely by Delhi Fire Services personnel from the first, second and third floors. The fire was in the basement only, said the fire official.

According to police, the fire broke out in the electric switchboard panel installed in the basement below the staircase in the building.

“The four-storied building houses Axis Bank on the ground and first floor and a private office on second and third floor. The fire broke out at around 2.50 P.M. and the around 75-80 people were working inside the building when the incident occurred,” said a senior police official.

“The police officials including the beat staff, patrolling staff from Lajpat Nagar police station immediately swung into action and started the rescue operation. The glass window panes were broken as people trapped inside started gasping for air,” said the senior police official.

“Police officials climbed over the parapets with the help of ladders and ropes and got people climb down by making human chain. The area was cordoned off and cleared off the hindrances for fire tenders. The rescue operation was further strengthened when fire tenders reached the spot,” said police official.

On June 12 last year, five showrooms were damaged after a massive fire broke out in the Lajpat Nagar market.

Three buildings housing mainly showrooms of garments, watches and crockery caught fire. No one was inside the shops at the time of the incident.