Scare

Fire officials suspect a short-circuit in the CCTV room of the building triggered an explosion,which resulted in the fire. Employees said the transformer and the generator are in the basement of the building.

The staff members on the ground floor had initially tried to douse the flames by using fire extinguishers,but called the Fire department when the blaze continued to grow.

The documents and stationery in the record room on the ground floor were reportedly damaged.

Senior Manager of PNB Jagjit Singh told Newsline that he was on the first floor when the fire broke out. “We were working when the fire alarm went off around 4.30 pm,followed by an announcement telling all to evacuate the building. We all left our belongings and rushed towards the exit. The first floor was full of smoke and it was difficult to locate the passage. We escaped from the back door,but my colleagues on the third floor were trapped and went to the terrace to escape the smoke,” he said.

Zahid Khan,an HCL employee handling IT network for PNB,said,“I was sending an email to a client when I heard the fire alarm and the announcement. Initially,I thought that it was a mock drill,which is a regular feature in the building,but then I saw everybody running to the exit door. My eyes started burning and I could not breathe.”

Chairman and Managing Director of PNB K R Kamat said the exact cause of fire has not been ascertained yet.

“We are glad that everybody is safe. Two elderly people reported breathlessness and have been referred to RML Hospital. The fire brigade was on time and there was no loss of human life. We have still not ascertained the amount of property damaged in the fire,” Kamat said.

A case has been registered under IPC Section 336.