Gaya: A fire broke out in room no. 3 of the circuit house here on Wednesday afternoon following a blast in an air-conditioner (AC) compressor. No casualties or injuries were reported. Three fire tenders took around an hour to douse the flames, police said.Manoj Kumar, a director in the Union ministry of external affairs, and his wife, who were staying in adjoining room no. 2, were safely evacuated after smoke spread through the building.Room no. 3 had initially been allotted to Kumar, but he opted for room no. 2. He was inside his room when the blast occurred and initially thought the sound had come from outside. A few minutes later, he noticed a burning smell and found the corridor filled with smoke.Rampur police station SHO Dinesh Bahadur Singh and fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot. District assistant fire officer Naveen Kumar said the fire was brought under control in time.Assembly Speaker Prem Kumar, who was also staying at the circuit house, visited the spot and inquired about the couple’s well-being. He sought an inquiry into the safety arrangements at the facility.Additional district magistrate (law and order) Md Shafique said a preliminary inquiry had found a possible electrical fault. “Although the AC was switched off using the remote, its MCB had tripped or failed to disconnect the power supply. This may have resulted in the blast and subsequent fire,” he said.Shafique added that an explanation had been sought from the agency responsible for maintaining the circuit house. The executive engineer of the electrical wing of the building construction department had also been directed to conduct a thorough inspection of electrical appliances and wiring in all rooms to prevent a recurrence.
