Two die in Raipur building fire

Raipur: Two persons died and two others were injured after a fire erupted in a building in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur on Saturday, police said.

Police were alerted after flamers were seen raging on the second floor of the residential-cum-commercial building situated near Mini Mata Chowk late this evening, a senior police official said.

Police personnel, a fire tender, and an ambulance were rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation, he said.

"Thick smoke filled the building's premises. A man and a woman were found lying unconscious. They were rushed to a hospital where they were declared as brought dead," he said.

Two others were rescued in the injured condition and hospitalised, the official said.

The identity of the deceased was yet to be ascertained, he said.

"The cause of the blaze is not immediately known. Local people said they heard a blast before the fire broke out," the official said, adding that an investigation is underway.