India, Sept. 30 -- A fire broke out in a sixth-floor office at the Bank of India building on crowded Laxmi Road on Tuesday morning. Although no casualties or injuries were reported, the absence of a permanent firefighting system at the premises raised fresh concerns about fire-safety compliance.

"The fire at Bank of India was serious. Our officers and firefighters used modern equipment and made sustained efforts to contain the blaze without allowing it to spread in a crowded area such as Laxmi Road. Their timely action helped avert a major incident," said Ganesh Sonune, chief fire officer, Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC).

The PMC fire brigade control room received the alert at 10:11am. Seven vehicles, including four fire engines and th...