A massive fire broke out at a five-storey building in Pune's Shanipar area leading to the death of a watchman while 42 girls in the early hours of Friday.

Pune Municipal Corporation's chief fire officer Devendra Potphode told PTI that the incident occurred around 1.30 am.

Potphode said that there were 42 girl students who were living in the hostel on the second floor of the building were evacuated following the fire.

"The fire brigade received a call about the fire in a five-storey building. After our team reached the spot, it was found that the blaze had erupted at an accounting academy on the ground floor," Potphode said.

Potphode stated that when the fire brigade team reached the site, local residents had already evacuated the girl students from the hostel.

As they were extinguishing the fire on the ground floor, they found the body of a person in his early 40s, apparently succumbed to burn injuries.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone-1) Sandip Singh Gill said that deceased man was a watchman who was inside a room on the ground floor.

"After he was found there, he was referred to the Sassoon General Hospital, but was declared dead by doctors," he said.

The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, officials said.