Fire dept finds safety gaps at coaching inst after 150 students escape unharmed

Nagpur: Days after nearly 150 students narrowly escaped a fire at Bansal Pathshala on Mount Road in Sadar on May 6, the Nagpur Municipal Corporation's fire and emergency services department uncovered glaring deficiencies in the building's fire safety infrastructure during an inspection on May 7, raising serious concerns over the safety of students attending crowded coaching institutes across the city.An inspection conducted by the fire department after the incident revealed that several mandatory fire prevention and life safety systems were either missing or grossly inadequate in the multistorey commercial building housing the coaching centre for AIIT-JEE, NEET, and MHT-CET aspirants.The fire, triggered by sparking in an electric meter unit allegedly due to excessive load, caused panic during class hours. Though students were evacuated safely through an alternate staircase and the flames were contained using fire extinguishers before emergency teams arrived, the subsequent inspection exposed a disturbing picture.According to the notice issued to the building owner under the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, officials found inadequate ABC-type fire extinguishers on multiple floors. Essential systems such as hose reels, hose boxes with branch pipes, wet riser/downcomer arrangements, and manual call points were absent. The building also lacked a two-way fire service inlet, a critical firefighting provision in emergencies.The fire department observed that while a rooftop water tank and a 900-LPM fire pump were available, the overall fire preparedness of the premises remained insufficient for a building accommodating large numbers of students daily.Officials have directed the owner to begin corrective measures within seven days and complete all fire safety compliance within 30 days, failing which further legal action may follow.The incident has once again put the spotlight on fire safety compliance at coaching institutes operating from commercial complexes across Nagpur. Many such centres function in congested buildings packed with students for long hours, often relying heavily on air conditioners and high electrical loads, while basic emergency systems remain absent or poorly maintained.For the 150 students who escaped unharmed on Wednesday, the incident ended without tragedy. But the fire department's findings suggest the city may have narrowly avoided a far more serious disaster.