Three Firefighters Killed in Sawmill Fire in India

Three firefighters died and six were injured, when a three-story building containing a sawmill collapsed during a fire Wednesday morning in southern Kashmir, India.

Firefighters in Jammu received a first alarm regarding the fire at 4:50 a.m. Forty-five minutes into the fire operation, the building collapsed, trapping five firefighters and four civilians, according to the Fire and Emergency Services Facebook page.

Responders freed two of the trapped firefighters almost immediately. However, locating and rescuing the remaining firefighters took much longer. Responders with the state and national Disaster Response Force joined those already on scene.

The four civilians trapped in the collapse were also located and safely rescued. Unfortunately, the remaining firefighters were found unconscious and later declared dead at a nearby hospital.

Divisional Commissioner Sanjeev Verma said firefighters did a tremendous job in controlling the fire and rescuing trapped civilians.

"It is a tragic incident and we are looking into the cause of the fire," Verma told NDTV. "It is a matter of investigation whether the building was unsafe."