A burning building in north India collapsed while firefighters were attempting to put it out, killing two of them.

The three-storey building, which housed a saw mill on the ground floor, was located in the Golepulli area, Jammu city, Kashmir when it caught fire on February 12.

Reportedly the fire department dispatched officers to the scene after receiving a distress call at 4:48 am and were fighting the blaze when the building collapsed at 5:30 am.

The Director General of Fire and Emergency Services, V K Singh commented: "It is believed that none of the civilians were trapped under the debris. We have rescued four civilians in the morning while two of our personnel suffered injuries. All the rescued persons were evacuated and taken to a hospital."

He added: "There was a huge stock of timber in the saw mill and a gas cylinder also exploded during the fire as a result of which the building collapsed due to intense heat."