Patna: Visheshwariya Bhawan, the seven storeyed state secretariat building housing several engineering and technical departments has been badly damaged following huge fire which engulfed the building early Wednesday morning.
National DRF team was engaged in rescuing the people trapped on sixth floor, hydraulic machines from JP international airport was called when fire was first noticed at 7.30 am, according to the district magistrate, Chandra Shekhar Singh.
Shobha Ahotkar, DG of Fire Services, who was present at the building said 15 fire tenders from Patna were pressed into service to extinguish fire. As fire could not be controlled, extra fire tenders were called from neighbouring districts.
The state secretariat building located on Bailey Road has chambers of several ministers and principal secretaries. Patna DM said fire was apparently caused due to short circuit in the rural works department on the third floor.
The fire fighting system in the building was not working and even small cylinders to extinguish fire were found abandoned and not functional.
Thousands of files and computers have been destroyed in the fire, officials said.
