Close shave for 200 kids in Surat printing press blaze

SURAT: Over 200 schoolchildren had a narrow escape when a printing press adjacent to their school building got gutted in fire at Balkrishna complex in Bhatar Tuesday afternoon. Panic spread in the printing press and nearby buildings as fire, which is suspected to have been caused because of short-circuit in electrical wiring, broke out and engulfed large amount of finished material, cutting machine of the unit.
When the fire broke out over 200 students were present in the Gyan Ganga Hindi Vidhyalaya that is housed in the building next to the printing press. The school was being operated from nine shops located on first floor of a commercial complex, said fire officials.
“The fire started at around 1.40pm and within few minutes all the material stored in sheds of the unit turned to ashes as chemicals used for printing was also stored there,” said fire officer Prakash Patel.
He added, “By the time we reached the spot, the schoolteachers had brought all the students to ground floor. We moved them to other side of the road for safety. The children were scared due to the fire and the panic that followed.”
The school is run by Poonam Singh Narendra. Its principal is Vinay Tarkeswar. The authorities have the permission to run the school and has been operating from the same premises since 2002.