Fire Destroys British-Era Building Housing School In Nainital; No Casualties Reported

A fire engulfed the British-era building of Saraswati Shishu Mandir school in Nainital’s Mallital area on Tuesday evening, leaving it completely destroyed, according to officials. However, no casualties

were reported, and the fire is suspected to have been caused by a short circuit.

Nainital Sub-Divisional Magistrate Nawazish Khaliq stated that they were notified of the fire around 7:30 pm, which prompted the fire department’s swift response. After several hours of effort, the fire was successfully controlled.

#WATCH | Nainital, Uttarakhand: Fire broke out at the Shishu Mandir Vidyalaya located at China Baba area. Three fire tenders rushed top the spot. Fire-fighting was carried out and the fire was brought under control.

There is no report of any casualty in this. Two people trapped… pic.twitter.com/U5HlThn2OV

— ANI (@ANI) December 9, 2025

Chief Fire Officer Gaurav Kirar explained that the fire spread rapidly because the building was entirely made of wood. To combat the blaze, fire tenders from Bhimtal and Bhawali were called in, in addition to those from Nainital.

An eyewitness, Gaurav Joshi, mentioned that the building, owned by Alok Shah, housed a school, a tent house, and a hotel. He noted that the fire originated on the top floor.

Upon receiving the alert, the State Disaster Response Force arrived on the scene and safely evacuated the school principal’s family. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami monitored the situation via a video call.

SP Nainital Jagdish Chandra confirmed that the principal of Saraswati Shishu Mandir and his son, who were trapped inside during the fire, were rescued safely. He reported that at approximately 7:15 pm, the control room received information about the fire on the second floor of the school. Fire teams were dispatched promptly, and the District Collector sent vehicles from nearby fire stations to assist. The coordinated effort by locals and fire teams brought the fire under control within an hour.

Chandra added that a fire tender would remain on site overnight as a precautionary measure, and normal traffic has resumed. SDM Khaliq noted that emergency protocols were activated swiftly after receiving the first alert at 7:24 pm, and the fire was controlled within an hour and ten minutes, with no casualties reported. The Chief Minister ensured continuous monitoring via video call and instructed that fire tenders stay deployed overnight.

— with PTI and ANI inputs