Rajbagh fire mishap: Students praise CRPF personnel for timely evacuation

Srinagar, Nov 14: Students of Muslim Public High School (MPHS) in the Kursoo Rajbagh area of Srinagar district expressed their appreciation for the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel who helped evacuate their classmates from a school building that caught fire on Thursday.
A class 10 student, Musaddiq, told Rising Kashmir that the fire broke out in the boys’ building of MPHS while students were busy on the ground preparing for Children’s Day celebrations. “We saw plumes of smoke rising from the building,” he said. “Soon, many CRPF personnel rushed in and helped in evacuating students who were in the building.” He added that the CRPF also called the fire and emergency department to help extinguish the flames.
A CRPF soldier, who was on routine duty along a road near the school, said they heard students crying, “Fire! Fire!” and immediately responded. “Our officer entered the building and attempted to ring the fire alarm but couldn’t,” the soldier said. “He then called the fire and emergency department, and all eight CRPF personnel from the 117th Battalion began evacuating students.”
After ensuring that the students were safely evacuated, the CRPF personnel also tried to save school equipment and other items. “We managed to throw some items out of the building but couldn’t save everything,” the soldier explained, adding that their primary concern was student safety.
The fire caused significant damage to the attic and the second floor of the three-story building, which included the attic used as an auditorium.