A major fire broke out in an abandoned building near the Manipur secretariat complex on Saturday, near Chief Minister N Biren Singh's official residence, police reports said.

Officials deployed three fire tenders which successfully extinguished the blaze within an hour. Fortunately, there was no damage reported to the Chief Minister's residence, although security measures were promptly reinforced following the incident.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation, reports said. The property, formerly owned by the late IAS officer T Kipgen's family and had been vacant since last year's unrest in Manipur.

This incident follows recent violence in the state's Jiribam district by just a week. Police sources are considering arson as a potential cause, with further details yet to be disclosed.