A fire broke out at Aakash Institute, a medical and engineering entrance exam training centre on the first floor of two showrooms, in Sector 14 of Panchkula on Wednesday morning. No casualty was reported as it occurred before 6am when no one was inside, though property loss of Rs 1.5 crore was projected. So far, the cause was suspected to be short-circuit, which the institute operator said could have been caused in high-tension wires just outside the building.
The fire department got the first call at 6.35am, “We immediately rushed to the spot and it took about four hours to extinguish the fire,” said station fire officer, Panchkula, Rajbir.
Naveen Karki, deputy director of the institute, said he got to know of the fire around 6am: “By the time I got there, fire tenders were on the job.”
Of the eight classrooms and some cabins, “nothing is left,” he said. “We lost 25 air-conditioners, 10 computers, 10 display screens, and other furniture. The loss is around Rs 1.5 crore,” added Karki. “Important documents and Rs 1 lakh cash also got destroyed.”
The institute put off classes till Sunday. “We are looking to rent rooms in a school to carry out the classes. But in three weeks we will resume operations from this place,” he claimed.
Regarding the cause of fire, he said it appeared that short-circuiting was responsible. “But it must be outside the showroom in high-tension wires. There was heavy rain on Tuesday night which could be responsible,” he said.
The Panchkula fire department pressed six fire tenders into action and called one each from Kalka, Barwala and the Western Command army headquarters, besides procuring a hydraulic ladder from Chandigarh. Forty firemen carried out the job.
