MINGORA: A devastating blaze caused by electricity short-circuit gutted Government Boys High School, Toha, in Charbagh tehsil, late on Friday night.

According to police, the fire erupted at 11pm and reduced everything in the 12-room high school to ashes.

“When we learnt about the incident we reached the spot immediately. The local people were busy putting out the blaze,” Mohammad Ayaz, SHO at Charbagh police station, said, adding the fire seemed to be sparked off by an electric short-circuit. He said police registered case and started investigations.

Toha is a remote hilly area located about 30 kilometers north of Mingora. The school had enrolment of 373 students, and according to the local residents, the fire erupted after night prayers and soon engulfed the whole building. “When I came out of the mosque I saw huge flames coming out of the school, after which I called out the people. We started firefighting, but as it was out of our control, we called the Rescue 1122. The fire was put out at about 2am,” Zahir Shah, a resident of Toha village, said.

Iqbal Shah, a class-IV employee in the school who lives in the nearby village, said when he got the news he rushed inside the school to save the record but could not do so as due to huge flames it was not possible to enter the record room.

Assistant district education officer, Azam Ghani, said the students of the gutted school would take classes in the government girls primary school in the afternoon.

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2016