PATNA: Panic briefly gripped the Musallahpur area of Patna on Thursday evening after smoke was seen billowing from the coaching institute run by educator Faisal Khan, prompting students and staff to rush out of the building.However, fire officials later clarified that no fire had broken out. According to them, the incident was triggered by an electrical short circuit, while most of the smoke seen inside the premises was caused by the discharge of fire extinguishers used as a precautionary measure.As smoke spread through parts of the institute, students and employees evacuated the building, leading to brief chaos. The situation was quickly brought under control after staff members acted promptly and used fire extinguishers to prevent the electrical fault from escalating.Personnel from Kadamkuan police station and a fire brigade team rushed to the spot after receiving information about the incident. By the time they arrived, the institute staff had already contained the situation. Fire personnel later inspected the premises to ensure there was no further risk.As a precaution, power supply to the affected section was temporarily disconnected. After repairs and safety checks were carried out by the power department’s technical team, electricity was restored and normal operations resumed.District Fire Officer Ritesh Kumar Pandey said the incident was caused by “a short circuit between two wire joints” and clarified that the smoke was generated by the fire extinguishers.Notably, fire safety auditors had inspected Khan Global Studies and an associated hospital on June 7 and June 23, during which they reportedly identified several deficiencies in fire safety measures. The management had been given seven to 10 days to rectify the shortcomings and comply with safety norms.
