Nainital (Uttarakhand) [India], December 9 (ANI): A major fire broke out on Tuesday evening at the Shishu Mandir Vidyalaya located in the China Baba area of Nainital, prompting a swift response from district authorities and fire services.

Multiple fire tenders were rushed to the scene, and officials confirmed that the blaze was brought under control without any loss of life.

According to Nainital SDM Nawazish Khaliq, the administration received its first alert at 7:24 pm, after which emergency protocols were activated.

'Taking immediate cognisance, we activated the disaster control room. Fire-fighting was carried out here. With the efforts of everyone, this fire was brought under control within 1 hour and 10 minutes. There is no report of any casualty in this. Two people trapped were rescued in time,' Khaliq said.

Khaliq added that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami took prompt cognisance of the incident and monitored the situation via video call. 'CM has directed that fire tenders be kept stationed here even at night... We have informed him about the positive result as well,' he added.

Chief Fire Officer Gaurav Kirar said the fire spread rapidly due to the building's wooden structure.

'We got information about the fire at 7:17 PM. The fire spread quickly as the building was made completely of wood. Three fire tenders rushed to the spot. It took around 40 minutes to douse the fire. The fire did not spread to the nearby buildings. No loss of life took place in the incident,' he told ANI.

Residents who witnessed the incident described how the flames engulfed the building within minutes. One resident said, 'When I reached here, I saw a few people were trapped inside and the fire officials were doing their work... There were some timber inside the building and which expanded the fire.' (ANI)