Fire breaks out at Sirsa bank

A major fire broke out at the Axis Bank main branch near Sangwan Chowk in Sirsa early Tuesday morning. The fire was first noticed by a security guard working at a nearby private mall. He saw smoke coming out of the bank and immediately raised the alarm.

Fire brigade officials were informed, but reportedly arrived about 30 minutes late. By the time they reached the spot, the fire had spread inside the bank, damaging computers, electric equipment, furniture and important documents. A crowd of onlookers gathered as the fire intensified.

Though the exact cause of fire is still unknown, it is suspected that an electrical short circuit triggered it. The flames spread quickly, causing major damage to the bank’s interiors. Bank officials later confirmed that the cash counters were located in a safer area and only the front counters and file section were damaged. However, the building’s internal electric wiring was completely destroyed. Jagjivan Singh, a security guard at the nearby Reliance showroom, said he heard an alarm around 5 am. When he stepped outside, he noticed smoke and heard crackling sounds like that of firecrackers. He alerted the city police and the Fire Department. At that time, no security guard was seen at the bank.

Bank officials arrived at the scene but refrained from giving detailed information. Firefighters said they had to break open the shutter lock to enter the bank. It took them around 15–20 minutes to control the fire once inside.

Although the fire was eventually brought under control, the entire day was spent cleaning up the damaged items. Senior bank officials also visited to assess the situation. Meanwhile, many account holders arrived to withdraw cash or access banking services, but operations were suspended.

One account holder, Pramod, said he came to withdraw money but was told that services might take up to a month to resume. Bank officials later clarified that while cash and important data were safe, electrical systems and records were destroyed, and it would take about a week to make basic repairs before restoring banking services.