Fire Breaks Out at DGGI Surat Office on VIP Road, Records Room Damaged

Surat | Gujarat — Panic gripped the premises of the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI) office in Surat on Monday morning after a sudden fire broke out in the records room on the fourth floor of the VIP Road building.

The incident occurred around 9:21 am at the Vesu-based office, located on VIP Road, just as staff were beginning their workday. Thick smoke was first noticed rising from the records room, quickly escalating into a major fire that forced employees and visitors to evacuate the building in haste.

A fire official involved in the operation said, “The smoke spread rapidly due to stored documents. Our priority was to prevent the fire from spreading to other floors.”

The Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) fire department rushed more than six fire tenders from multiple stations, including Vesu, and brought the blaze under control after nearly two hours of continuous effort. Firefighters had to use oxygen masks due to dense smoke inside the building.

Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported. However, officials confirmed significant damage to records and GST-related documents stored in the affected room. Water used during firefighting also added to the damage.

Sources indicated that the destroyed files may have included sensitive GST tax evasion case documents, which are crucial for ongoing investigations handled by the DGGI.

A senior official, Joint Commissioner Gurush Matharu, visited the site shortly after the incident. “We are assessing the extent of the damage. The cause of the fire is under investigation, and all possibilities, including a short circuit, are being examined,” he said.

Preliminary assessments suggest an electrical short circuit could be the cause, though authorities have not ruled out other possibilities.