Fire breaks out at former Haryana minister Kamal Gupta's residence in Hisar

A fire broke out at the residence of former Haryana minister Kamal Gupta on Balsamand Road here, officials said on Monday.

The blaze is said to have originated in the drawing room on the first floor of the house.

While the exact cause of the fire, which broke out Sunday, is yet to be ascertained, a short circuit is suspected to have triggered it.

Gupta's family was present inside the house at the time of the incident, but all escaped safely.

Kamal Gupta, a senior BJP leader and former minister for health and urban local bodies, said he, his wife and his mother were in another room when the fire broke out.

The drawing room was closed and the fire erupted suddenly. Acting swiftly, he immediately evacuated the premises and safely escorted his wife and mother down through a neighbor's rooftop, he said.

Gupta said smoke and flames were noticed around 4pm, following which the fire department was informed.

Two fire tenders reached the spot and brought the blaze under control after nearly half an hour of fire fighting, officials said.

Sharing details of the incident, the former minister said, ''Material possessions have been lost, but lives have been saved, for that we are truly grateful.'' The fire caused extensive damage to the furniture and other belongings kept in the drawing room.

According to the ex-Minister, preliminary investigations point to a possible electrical short circuit, though the exact cause is yet to be confirmed.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)