A fire broke out at the Central Girls’ High School in Jalpaiguri town on Friday morning, causing panic among students and teachers.

The school authorities managed to evacuate around 1,000 students from the school as firemen and officials from the power department rushed to the scene.

A source said some teachers noticed a burning smell and heard sounds of electric sparks around 10am.

Soon, thick black smoke was seen billowing out from the room housing the school’s meter box near a staircase.

Although classes were in progress, teachers acted swiftly. They evacuated all students from the building and informed the nearest fire station, police and guardians.

Traffic on the road outside the school was temporarily halted for smooth rescue operations.

A fire engine and police personnel arrived and brought the situation under control.

Preliminary investigations suggest that an electrical short circuit in the building’s old electrical wiring may have caused the fire.

Some students panicked and were seen crying. Anxious parents rushed to the school in search of their children.

“The building is old and there may have been some problem in the electrical wiring. However, the biggest relief is that all the students from both the primary and high school sections are safe,” said Nilima Roy, the headmistress.

Ananta Deb Adhikari, the BJP MLA of Jalpaiguri, Sujit Sarkar, the district inspector of schools (secondary), and the civic chairman, Saikat Chatterjee, also went to assess the situation.

A source from the DI’s office said that the school flagged the building’s condition and outdated electrical wiring after the incident.

The school has been asked to prepare an estimate for repairs, which the authorities will review.

The district administration also plans to instruct all schools to monitor their electrical infrastructure and fire safety systems, said a source.