Four killed in fire at commercial complex

Coimbatore (PTI): Four persons, including two women, were killed and an equal number injured when a fire broke out in a multi-storeyed commercial complex here today, top officials said. The fire broke out in the office of a private bank around 10:30 am, the reason for which is yet to be ascertained, they said. Ten to 12 fire tenders, including some from Army and Navy, were used and the fire was doused after over one-and-a-half hours. A majority of the people were taken to safety by fire force personnel and locals who rushed to the spot to assist in rescue operations, District Collector M Karunagaran said. While two women were injured when they jumped from the second floor, two fire force personnel sustained injuries after they fell down when the water-pipe hose got entangled in their legs, officials said. There are eight offices in the complex employing 300 people. Meanwhile, Axis Bank said in a statement that "This refers to an incident involving Fire which broke out around 9.45 am on April 25 in a building - Vigneshwar Cresta, which houses offices of Coimbatore branch of Axis Bank, amongst other offices. All Axis Bank offices in the building and employees including the outsourced staff are completely safe."