A fire broke out in the library of Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce (SGGSCC) in northwest Delhis Pitampura on Thursday morning, burning more than 3,000 books and forcing the cancellation of semester exams and prompting the college to switch to manual book issuance. The blaze erupted at around 8:55 am and engulfed the first, second and third floors of the four-storey library, DFS chief Atul Garg said. Soon, 11 fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the fire was brought under control by 9:40 am, Garg said, adding that no one was injured in the incident. A short circuit in the librarys server triggered the fire, extensively damaging hundreds of books in the section that housed old books. The library is still filled with smoke, and a detailed assessment of the losses will be possible only once visibility improves, a senior college official said.    In the aftermath of the fire, the morning session of the semester exams was cancelled. The morning session examination for May 15, 2025, at Sri Guru Gobind Singh College of Commerce stands cancelled. The alternative date and schedule will be notified shortly, a college official said. Several window panes shattered due to the high flames, and the fire spread rapidly due to strong winds. Our teams responded swiftly and managed to douse the flames, a senior fire official said. More than 3,000 books were burnt in the fire. Fortunately, the ground and first floors, which house the latest editions and frequently-issued books, remained largely unaffected, SGGSCC principal Jatinder Bir Singh said. We are aware of the books that have been destroyed. They will be replaced after a complete assessment of the losses, Singh added. While the librarys online system was damaged in the incident, the facility remains functional, with books being issued manually to students amid the ongoing semester exams, the principal said. An alternative date and schedule will be announced shortly, the official said.  We entered the college around 9 am for the exams, when suddenly we heard a loud noise and saw flames in the library area, a student said, adding that the college management ensured the students were in a safe area.

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