Surat: 20 students rescued from a library room after building catches fire

According to fire officials, the fire broke out in a godown on the ground floor of Divine Shopping complex at Dabholi, whose fourth floor houses the library.

While the rescue operations were on, the parents of all the students gathered at the spot. (Express Photo by Hanif Malek)

The smoke emitting from the godown reached the fourth floor, where 20 students were studying. While shopkeepers of the complex immediately shut their shops and exited the building, the fumes prevented the students from taking the stairs, and they had to be rescued by the fire department.

Another team from the department extinguished the fire. While the rescue operations were on, the parents of all the students gathered at the spot. Surat city Mayor Hemali Boghawala and municipal officials also reached the area after learning about the incident.

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Sources said the library was built by Divine Trust, which constructed the building. Students of the neighbourhood were allowed to use the library hall for reading for free by the trustees.

The fire was brought under control after two hours and at present, cooling activity is in progress.

Chief fire officer Basant Pareek said, “The fire has been brought under control. No casualties took place. We have rescued 20 students and a few others who were trapped on the top floors of the building. We suspect the fire was caused due to an electric short circuit in a godown storing plastic items. We will check whether the complex has fulfilled all the fire safety norms or not.”