A major fire broke out on Wednesday at the Visveswarayya Bhawan here, a sprawling multi-storeyed building that houses many key establishments, including government department offices.
Though the flames kept leaping up for several hours, there were no casualties.
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who drove to the building to take stock of the situation told reporters, "It is very unusual. The fire took place in the morning. I came here after learning that the blaze was getting rekindled repeatedly. Never before have I heard of a government building being in flames for so long".
The chief minister expressed hope that the fire will be doused and assured that adequate safety measures will be ensured once the six-storeyed building was fit for use.
Patna District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh said security personnel had noticed smoke billowing out of the fifth floor at 7.30 am, and informed the fire brigade.
By late evening, water from as many as 50 fire engines had been used up, lending to the massive structure of concrete a slushy feel.
The DM asserted that no occupant of the building suffered any physical harm and two children, who had accompanied their construction worker's parents and got trapped on the fifth floor, were rescued by the firefighters.
DG, Fire, Shobha Ahotkar said one of the firemen suffered injuries while at work and was sent to a hospital.
Leader of the Opposition Tejashwi Yadav said "it needs to be probed whether it was an accidental fire or some mischief".
His maverick elder brother Tej Pratap Yadav was characteristically blunt when he alleged on Twitter that the fire had destroyed material relating to "55-60 scams".
Tejashwi Yadav, while talking to reporters, also took a dig at the apparent lack of preparedness in the fire department and claimed "fire engines meant for rural areas, bought from local development finds of mine and my mother Rabri Devi have been pressed into service. Fire tenders have also been brought in from the airport. Such is the state of fire safety in Bihar".
