Fire breaks out in hostel building in Kota, Rajasthan, 8 students injured

One student suffered serious burns, officials said. (representative)

Kota:

A fire broke out in a boys’ dormitory building on Sunday morning, injuring eight students, police said, with initial reports suggesting the fire was caused by a short circuit.

Kota City Superintendent of Police Amrita Duhan said the incident occurred at around 6.15 am at Landmark City under Kunhari police station.

Police said preliminary investigations revealed that the fire was caused by a short circuit in a transformer installed on the ground floor of the five-story dormitory building. However, forensic teams are working to establish the exact cause of the accident.

Kota Municipal Corporation fire officer Rakesh Vyas said the hostel building was not equipped with fire safety measures and had no fire safety NOC. He added that it was shocking that the transformer was installed inside the hostel building.

The six injured students, one of whom suffered severe burns, are undergoing preliminary treatment at the Mahara Bhim Singh (MBS) Hospital, police said.

A student who escaped the fire by jumping from the first floor of the building along with 14 others suffered a fractured leg and is currently undergoing treatment at a private hospital, they added.

Bhavishya, a NEET from Chindwara in Bihar who lives in the building, was also injured in the incident. He said he was woken up by a loud noise around 6.15am and when he walked out of the room he found thick smoke everywhere.

He said the students decided to jump from the first floor because the stairs were filled with smoke and there was no other way out.

SP Duhan said the building has 75 rooms, of which 61 are occupied.

She added that fire engines rushed to the scene in time and put out the fire before it spread to the upper floors.

Kunhari police station inspector Arvind Bhardwaj said all the students have been rescued from the building.

Parents of students are being contacted to ensure their wards are safe, he added.

Bhardwaj said since most students were unable to carry their mobile phones when they were rescued, a help desk was also set up for students and their parents.

CI said the matter is under investigation.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)