Fire near school, kids evacuated

Fire broke out today at the Vijay Laxmi Sweet House in Krishna Nagar at Yousufguda. Fire safety measures were completely absent at the shop. The fire could have proved deadly as the building accommodates the Buds and Flowers High School too. The incident occurred during school hours.

Thick smoke came out from the chimney as soon as the kitchen caught fire. “Seeing the smoke, the school authorities evacuated children. Their parents came running when they heard of the incident,” said Ms Leela Naidu, the principal of the school.

“As a precautionary measure the school authorities moved the children out. No student was hurt. Our school is a recognised school from 1992,” said the principal.

DEO G. Ramesh said, “The school has recognition and it also complies with fire safety standards. The NOC from the fire department was given in 2012.”

The cook who was preparing sweets in the kitchen was boiling the oil in a huge kadai. He later went to the front store to buy some items. While he was out he forgot the oil in the kadai. As a result it got overheated and spread.

“The oil got sprinkled into the chimney and the area got engulfed in fire. But no worker of the shop or student of the school came to harm,” said the area corporator.

Mr. H. Mohan Rao, the Station Fire Officer (SFO) said, “The main reason for the fire was the oil in the chimney. It spilled on the floor, and the fire spread rapidly through the chimney. The fire was minor, but the smoke was very dense. The shop was unhygienic. Its walls had turned black due to the continuous fire. We asked the owner to follow hygiene norms.”

Banjara Hills inspector K. Srinivas said the fire was caused by the carelessness of the sweetshop owner. Children were affected. They were moved out by the school authorities immediately through the stairs due to the fire.