New Delhi: A massive fire broke out on Sunday morning in a boys' hostel building injuring eight students here with preliminary reports suggesting that a short circuit led to the blaze, police said. The incident at the Adarsh Residency hostel in Laxman Vihar led authorities to seal the hostel for safety violations and lack of a fire NOC. Fire officer Rakesh Vyas mentioned that notices have been issued to around 2,200 hostels in Kota-South and Kota-North for non-compliance with fire safety guidelines, with impending action against these hostels would be initiated soon, Vyas said.
"The incident happened around 6.15 am in the Landmark City area under the Kunhari police station limits", PTI quoted Kota (City) Superintendent of Police Amrita Duhan as saying.
Preliminary investigation revealed that a short circuit in an electric transformer located on the ground floor of the five-storey hostel building led to the the fire, according to police. However, forensic teams are conducting further analysis to determine the exact cause. Rakesh Vyas expressed concern over the placement of the transformer inside the hostel building, highlighting the potential for a more tragic outcome if the incident had occurred at night.
"Eight students sustained injuries, with six receiving minor burns and receiving primary medical treatment at Maharao Bheem Singh (MBS) Hospital. Two students, one with burns and another with a fractured leg, have been hospitalised", SP Duhan said. "The student who suffered a fracture in his leg had, along with 14 others, jumped from the building's first floor to escape the fire", Police said.
Bhavishya Dungeria, an aspiring NEET student from Chindwara in Madhya Pradesh and residing in the building, suffered an ankle injury during the incident. He said he woke up by a loud noise around 6:15 am, only to find thick smoke engulfing the surroundings upon exiting his room. With the staircase impassable due to smoke, students resorted to jumping from the first floor as their only means of escape.
All The Students Were Rescued
The building has 75 rooms of which 61 were occupied, the police said. "When the fire broke out, some students climbed on to the rooftop of the building, while a few others attempted to climb down through walls and windows and some others jumped from the first floor and sustained leg injuries", they said. SP Duhan said two fire tenders rushed to the spot and doused the fire within an hour. The blaze was controlled before it could spread to upper floors. "All the students have been rescued from the building", Circle Inspector at Kunhari police station Arvind Bhardwaj said.
Circle officer Vyas revealed that parents were contacted to reassure the safety of their children amidst the closure of hostels in Kota due to fire safety violations. Acting on the directive of the Kota district collector, one hostel has been sealed for failing to meet safety standards. Additionally, Gyandeep and Paras Jeevandeep hostels faced similar consequences for repeated violations.
Around 2,200 hostels in Kota-South and Kota-North have already been served notices for non-compliance of fire safety guidelines and action against these hostels would be initiated soon. However, occupancy of students in these hostels raises a barrier in action as the students cannot be disturbed and shifted to other places during the exam time, Vyas said.