Kanpur, May 5 -- A massive fire broke out in a five-storey residential-cum-commercial building in the Gandhi Nagar locality in Kanpur's densely populated Chamanganj on Sunday night, the police said. Families are feared trapped in the building though no casualties have been confirmed so far. Efforts to douse the flames were still underway at the time of reporting. Officials indicated that a thorough search and rescue operation would follow once the fire is contained. The blaze is believed to have originated due to a suspected electrical short-circuit in a shoe manufacturing unit operating on the ground floor of the building, according to initial reports. The upper floors of the structure were occupied by residents. Eyewitnesses said the fire engulfed the building within minutes and created a thick cloud of smoke that could be seen from a distance. Local people immediately alerted the fire brigade and began assisting in evacuating those trapped inside the premises. Several fire tenders were at the scene and firefighting operations were on. The incident led to chaos in the densely populated area, with bystanders gathering in large numbers and traffic in the vicinity being temporarily diverted. Authorities are yet to ascertain the extent of the damage and are investigating the exact cause of the fire. htc...