This story is from January 17, 2017

Presidency's new AC canteen gutted

At a time when Presidency University is celebrating its bicentennial, an early morning blaze on Monday destroyed a canteen inside the campus. None were injured in the fire.
Presidency's new AC canteen gutted
At a time when Presidency University is celebrating its bicentennial, an early morning blaze on Monday destroyed a canteen inside the campus. None were injured in the fire.
KOLKATA: At a time when Presidency University is celebrating its bicentennial, an early morning blaze on Monday destroyed a canteen inside the campus. None were injured in the fire.
The intensity of the fire took less than an hour to reduce the canteen — unveiled only a few years back— into a heap of mangled debris.
Eighty six, named after the institution’s house number, the canteen was a hit among students during summer as it was air-conditioned.

“The moment we received the alert around 6.10am, we immediately dispatched two engines. But by then the fire had already spread and our men cosuld do little,” said a senior fire department official.
According to preliminary investigation, fire department concluded that a short circuit in an air-conditioner or one of the five refrigerators in the canteen could have sparked the blaze.
According to firemen, Monday’s fire at the canteen could have been prevented had there been proper equipment.
“There were no fire alarms and sprinklers inside. Since the fire broke out when there was nobody inside, it would have come in handy in minimising the damage. Also, the materials used for the false ceiling and partitions were combustible,” said the fireman

The fire services department had asked the institute to step up its safety mechanism after the two chemistry laboratories were gutted in October 2010. Monday’s fire was the fifth in Presidency in the past six years.
“A forensic examination will reveal the exact cause of the fire,” added the official. Vice-chancellor Anuradha Lohia said that the fire department and the Public Works Department will be carrying out separate probes. PWD is responsible for the maintenance of the electrical wiring inside the university.
“It was a small fire. The damage is mainly to the overhead false ceiling, which is destroyed. We had plans to renovate the canteen after renovating the entire university,” said Lohia.
End of Article
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA