Fire breaks out at Pranab Mukherjee's meeting venue

Hyderabad: A fire broke out today at Hyderabad's Jubilee Hall, where Pranab Mukherjee held a meeting with Congress MPs, MLAs and MLCs as part of his campaign for the July 19 Presidential election.

The fire broke out shortly after Mr Mukherjee and other leaders, including the Chief Minister, had left the venue.

A short circuit is believed to be the reason behind the fire at 99-year-old Nizami building. Some mats on the roof caught fire, causing smoke to be emitted. But it was doused by fire fighters within minutes.

Mr Mukherjee, the UPA's presidential candidate, arrived in Hyderabad from Chennai this morning and met Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy. He will leave for Bangalore later in the afternoon.