Ahmedabad: A major fire broke out at a commercial establishment in the Thaltej area of the city late Monday evening, injuring at least five people, fire officials said. Two of them suffered injuries while attempting to escape.Chief fire officer in charge, Jayesh Khadia, said at least one person had jumped from the building before fire brigade teams arrived.Twelve fire tenders of Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services were deployed at Magnet Corporate Park in Thaltej after the fire was reported in an electricity cable duct, Khadia said.The blaze started on the second floor of the five-storey building, with the first and second floors most affected. Around 40 people, mostly employees, were in the building at the time. Many escaped on their own before fire personnel arrived, while AFES teams later rescued eight people, another fire officer said.Fire department sources said the flames spread quickly to furniture inside the building, producing heavy smoke and making it difficult for people to escape. The exact cause of the fire was not immediately known.Officials said ambulances moved three injured persons from the scene, while two others were taken to Sola Civil Hospital in private vehicles. Senior hospital officials said the injured, aged mostly between 20 and 50 years, suffered burns of varying degrees and were under observation. They were reported to be stable as of 10.30pm on Monday.Doctors said two patients, aged 30 and 35, suffered injuries after jumping from the second and third floors in an attempt to escape. They did not suffer head injuries and are in stable condition.An official said three other patients, aged 25 to 32, suffered minor abrasions and also experienced throat pain and breathlessness.
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