Students and teachers were evacuated in the nick of time when a fire broke out at the Muslim Public High School in Srinagar on Thursday afternoon.

The fire damaged the entire top floor of the building, Srinagar divisional fire officer Zorawar Singh said.

“We received a call at 12.31pm and responded immediately. The top floor had been gutted and students and faculty were being evacuated. We carried out a search to check for any students stuck in the fire, after which we started our operation,” he said.

“The fire has been doused but cooling process will take time. The fire did not spread anywhere else, only the top floor of the building was affected. The cause is yet to be ascertained,” the fire officer said.

The school is located in the Kursoo Rajbagh area of Srinagar.