Fire breaks out at landmark LIC building in Chennai

CHENNAI: Tense moments prevailed at Anna Salai, one of the arterial roads in Chennai, as fire erupted on the top floor of the multi-storey Life Insurance Corporation of India building here, official sources said.

However, there were no casualties in the incident, sources added.

The blazing fire and thick plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the top floor of the city's iconic structure on Sunday evening, even as a video of the incident went viral.

Talking to the media, Vijay Shekar, an official of the Fire Rescue Department Tamil Nadu said, "In these summer days we can see a lot of fire incidents and it's normal here. The 14th floor at the Terrace panel board caught fire due to Electric leakage."

"We have used Sky lifting and we have put off the fire in 14 mins", added Shekar.

Sources said five fire attendees were pressed into service to douse the flames.

The immediate cause of the incident is believed to be a 'short-circuit' in the digital board fixed on the terrace, they added.

(With inputs from PTI & ANI)