Fire at J&K civil secretariat, brought under control after an hour

A fire broke out inside the Civil Secretariat complex, the seat of the Jammu and Kashmir administration here on Wednesday, officials said.

Flames were first noticed in a room the rural development department used at around 9.45 am. The blaze quickly spread to adjoining rooms, they said.

A fire tender from the secretariat fire station was joined by one from the city station to put out the blaze. Senior officials had rushed to the spot, the officials said.

The fire was brought under control after about an hour, they said.

Officials said that the preliminary investigation suggested that a short circuit caused the fire on the first floor of a prefabricated double-storey structure on the backside of the main building.