The fire erupted at around 11 am but was brought under control by 12 pm, the fire brigade said. “A snorkel and three fire tenders were engaged in extinguishing the fire.”

The fire broke out on the second floor of the 12-storey office building and 150 people were rescued.

Offices on the second and third floors have been damaged. The cause of the fire is still unknown and cooling is underway.

Huge flames can be seen in videos shared on social media.

“The fire is under control but people are still stuck on the top floors and need to be rescued,” a tweet said. “Lots of smoke coming out of the building, fire started on the first floor of a private bank as per bystanders.”

A user shared a video of the erupting flames.

“Fire Erupted at A Building Next to Portway Building at Shahra e Faisal. Traffic Disturbance expected,” another tweet said.