On the evening of February 29, the desperate cries of a few students pierced through the quietude at the Urban Residential Hostel for Girls in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh. The girls were immersed in studies when they noticed a roaring inferno at a ground floor room of the two-storey building around 8.30 p.m. They hastily evacuated the hostel, their screams echoing through Vinayaka Nagar in Kanuru, a neighbourhood in Vijayawada, and prompting locals to rush to their aid.
“Thick smoke had filled the room in which fire started. We were all panicking,” recalls Chinnari, a PG student staying at the hostel. This child care institution (CCI) is run by a voluntary organisation named Vasavya Mahila Mandali in Krishna district. Inmates, referred by the Child Welfare Committees (CWC), are studying from primary classes to post graduation.
A fire tender rushed in from Auto Nagar and doused the flames, averting what could have been a major tragedy. Concerted efforts by the locals and firefighters ensured safe evacuation of all 67 girl students. As the embers of the fire subsided, revealing blackened walls and the remnants of destruction — a burnt computer, melted electric cables, and personal belongings — the glaring absence of fire safety compliance and a valid No-Objection Certificate (NOC) looms ominously.
