The fire damaged many rooms of the Disability Division of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officials said.

Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Sub-Inspector M.P. Godara, who was on security duty on the fifth floor, was found unconscious by fire fighters, who reached the spot after receiving an alert around 8.34 a.m., minutes after smoke and flames were noticed in the building.

Ex-Air Force serviceman Godara, who joined the CISF in 2008, was declared dead at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Trauma Centre. He was a resident of Churu in Rajasthan and is survived by two sons.

DFS Director Vipin Kental told IANS that 25 fire tenders were pressed into service and the flames were completely doused by 10.05 a.m.

"The office was closed when the fire erupted," the official said.

The official said the exact cause of the fire was yet to be ascertained but the probability is a short circuit.

Many Central government offices, including a branch of the Indian Air Force, Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation and Ministry of Forest operate from the building.

The building was earlier called Paryavaran Bhawan.