Around 600 students of Phoenix School, located at Sussen Circle in Vadodara city’s Makarpura, had a narrow escape after a fire broke out on the third floor of the building on Friday. Officials of the Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services (VFES) helped evacuate some of the students through an emergency window from the affected floors.
The incident occurred during school hours, fire officials said. Officials from the Makarpura GIDC fire station brought the fire under control before it spread.
“The fire started due to a short circuit in the Mini Circuit Breaker (MCB) on the third floor… It was immediately brought under control though the smoke spread across the floor. The damage was minimum and no one was injured. We evacuated close to 450 students from the top three floors… There was a lot of smoke; so, we used breathing apparatus to find the point of fire and extinguished it… The school was also equipped with fire safety equipment and everyone is safe,” Jaydeep Gadhvi, sub-fire officer of Makarpura GIDC said.
Fire officials added that the teachers and school management had also evacuated students from the lower floors in quick response. “The quick action taken by the school until the fire officials arrived at the spot also ensured that there was no trapped student… Police also helped in evacuation,” a teacher said.
Newsletter | Click to get the day’s best explainers in your inbox
The news of the short circuit in the school building, however, had parents of students rushing to the premises in anxiety. Officials of the Gujarat Electricity Board, as well as the police, had also arrived at the spot.
BJP corporator Shailesh Patil, who rushed to the school, said, “A fire alarm went off after smoke came out of the MCB… the teachers got into action and evacuated the students. They were able to ensure that the children, teachers and the staff were safe… The school has taken a fire NOC.”
📣 Join our Telegram channel (The Indian Express) for the latest news and updates
For all the latest Baroda News, download Indian Express App.