NEW DELHI: A massive fire broke out at the library of Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce in northwest Delhi’s Netaji Subhas Place area on Thursday morning, officials said.
According to the Delhi Fire Service, they received information about the fire at 8:55 am. Soon after, 11 fire tenders were rushed to the spot, and the blaze was brought under control by around 9:40 am.
Several videos showing intense flames coming from the library windows went viral on social media. Due to the fire, the morning exam was cancelled immediately.
“The fire started in the library located on the first, second, and third floors. The building has a ground plus three-floor structure. Cooling operations are currently underway,” police said, adding that no injuries were reported.
A student shared, “This morning, when I entered the college around 8:40 am, I heard an explosion. As I moved ahead, I saw the fire. The flames were intense, and the smell of smoke was spreading outside too. Our exams have now been postponed until further notice.”
Harmeet Singh Kalra, President of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, confirmed that restoration work would begin soon.
“Saddened to share the unfortunate news of a major fire in the library of Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, Thanks to the swift and courageous efforts of the college staff, and by the grace of Waheguru Ji, all students and staff are safe. The incident caused significant damage to the library, but we are thankful that no lives were lost. Renovation and restoration work will begin shortly to rebuild what was lost,” Kalra said.
Reacting to the incident, the NSUI (National Students’ Union of India) posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Today, a fire broke out at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce, starting in the library. Eleven fire tenders had to be rushed in. Thankfully, no lives were lost — but will DU admin only act after a tragedy? This is not an accident. This is criminal negligence. NSUI demands immediate safety audits in all colleges!”