Uttarpara: Fire breaks out at school, none hurt

Kolkata: In Uttarpara, Hooghly, a fire broke out on Wednesday morning at a private English-medium school located near Bhadrakali Shivtal on GT Road. The blaze occurred while classes were underway, creating panic among students and parents.

Teachers first noticed smoke and a burning smell inside the building, prompting an immediate call to the fire brigade. One fire engine arrived at the spot and officials later confirmed that no visible flames were found. Fire Officer Kripasindhu Dey stated that the incident was likely caused by a short circuit in the outer air-conditioning unit.

The school authorities also confirmed that the source of the smoke was the outer AC unit and assured that all students were safe inside the classrooms during the episode. Parents, however, expressed strong criticism over the school’s lack of fire-safety measures, including the absence of extinguishers and an evacuation plan.

Ward 8 councillor Tapas Mukhopadhyay mentioned that the institution, operating for the past three years, has not maintained basic fire precautions and said he would speak with the management regarding this negligence.