Two dead, five injured in a major fire at Awami Markaz govt building in Islamabad

Islamabad: A major fire broke out on Sunday at a government building in Islamabad in Pakistan, killing two persons and injuring five others, officials said. The fire, which had reportedly been ‘cleared’ by the fire department initially, re-emerged on Sunday morning at the six-storey building after which Pakistan Navy and firefighters had to be called in to contain it. [caption id=“attachment_641265” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] The blazes at the Awami Markaz building near a five-star hotel in the Red Zone were doused by this afternoon with the help of seven fire tenders, Geo News reported. Two people were killed and at least five others injured, it said. The two night-shift employees jumped out of the building to escape the fire but sustained grievous injuries, leading to their death, the report said. The building houses several private and government offices. The fire began on the ground floor near an office of the Federal Tax Ombudsman where records are also said to have been completely destroyed, officials said. Rescue officials said that the two persons should not have jumped from the building as a fire exit was available. Sources said the fire was triggered by a short-circuit. A three-member committee has been formed to probe the incident.