Gas leak causes fire in school kitchen near Vandavasi
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu: A major accident was averted on Thursday at a Panchayat Union Primary School located in Chunnambumedu village near Vandavasi, when gas leaked while preparing lunch in the school kitchen and the cylinder and gas pipe caught fire. More than 30 students were present in the school at the time of the incident, who were immediately evacuated safely by the teachers and staff.
According to the information, this school reopened on Thursday after summer holidays. After the opening of the school, normal studies and preparations for mid-day meal were started. Meanwhile, the process of preparing lunch was going on, when suddenly a fire broke out due to gas leakage.
At that time, organizer Karpakavalli and cooks Sarala and Sarita were busy preparing lunch in the school kitchen. It was told that while cooking, there was a sudden leakage from the gas pipe or cylinder, due to which the fire spread rapidly and created chaos in the kitchen area.
As soon as the fire broke out, the staff present in the kitchen immediately understood the situation and gave priority to the safety of the children and quickly evacuated all the students present in the school. Due to the promptness of the teachers, all the students were taken to a safe place and there is no report of anyone being injured.
After the incident, there was an atmosphere of tension in the school premises for some time, but due to the wisdom and prompt action of the staff, a major accident was averted. Local people also reached the spot and helped in controlling the fire.
As soon as the information was received, officials of the concerned department and local administration reached the spot and took stock of the situation. In the preliminary investigation, gas leak is considered to be the main cause of the fire. Officials have started checking the security arrangements of the kitchen and the condition of the gas cylinder.
After this incident, questions have started being raised regarding the security arrangements of mid-day meal kitchens in schools. Local people say that such incidents occur due to lack of regular checks and safety measures.
Education Department officials have said that the matter will be thoroughly investigated and if any negligence is found, necessary action will be taken. Also, to prevent such incidents in future, instructions will be given to strictly implement safety standards in all schools.
Overall, in this gas leak accident near Vandavasi, a major accident was averted due to the promptness of the school staff and all the children were saved safely.
