2004- Kumbakonam School

fire

PRESENTED BY: TAHREEN FATIMA

B.ARCH/15017/16
VIII SEMESTER
ABOUT THE INCIDENT :
• KUMBAKONAM SCHOOL FIRE ACCIDENT HAPPENED IN A SCHOOL IN
KUMBAKONAM TOWN IN THANJAVUR DISTRICT IN TAMIL NADU.
• THE STUDENTS OF THE PRIMARY SECTION OF THE KRISHNA ENGLISH
MEDIUM
SCHOOL WERE BURNT TO DEATH IN THEIR CLASSROOM.
• THE INCIDENT OCCURRED ON 16TH JULY 2004.
• THE CAUSE OF INCIDENT IS WAS THE THATCHED ROOF THAT CAUGHT
FIRE.
• THE ACCIDENT WAS THE ONE OF THE FOUR MAJOR FIRE ACCIDENTS AND
LARGEST SCHOOL ACCIDENT IN TAMIL NADU, AND SECOND IN TERMS OF
CASUALTIES FOR FIRE INCIDENTS IN SCHOOLS IN INDIA.
• IN THE MEMORY OF THE CHILDREN EVERY YEAR 16TH JULY, THE EVENT
CALLED MOTCHA DEEPAM TAKES PLACE IN THE EVENING IN
KUMBAKONAM.
• MEMORIAL HALL AND CHILDREN’S PARK WAS SET ON THE BANKS OF
CAUVERY IN PALAKKAIRAI IN THE MEMORY OF THE CHILDREN THOSE
WHO
WERE DEAD IN THE FIRE ACCIDENT
THE SCHOOL WHERE THE CASUALTY HAPPENED
THE SCHOOL BUILDING :
• THE SCHOOLS WERE LOCATED AT KASIRAMAN STREET, KUMBAKONAM.
• THERE WERE THREE SCHOOLS RUN IN THE COMPLEX.
THE NAMES OF THE SCHOOLS WERE
(1) SRI KRISHNA AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOL,
(2) SARASWATHY NURSERY AND PRIMARY SCHOOL, AND
(3) SRI KRISHNA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL.
• THE MAIN BUILDING FACES EAST. IT IS A STREET BUILDING WITHOUT ANY
COMPOUND WALL.
• ON THE NORTH AND THE SOUTH THERE ARE RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS.
• KASIRAMAN STREET IS 27 FEET WIDE AND HAS A TAR ROAD.
• THERE WERE THREE SCHOOLS NAMELY, SRI KRISHNA AIDED PRIMARY
SCHOOL, SARASWATHY NURSERY AND PRIMARY SCHOOL AND SRI
KRISHNA
GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL, OPERATING IN THE SAME BUILDING IN KASIRAMAN
STREET IN KUMBAKONAM IN THE SOUTH INDIAN STATE OF TAMIL NADU.
• THE MAJOR REASON FOR THE HEAVY CASUALTY IS THE FALSE TACTICS OF
THE MANAGEMENT TO BRING THE OTHER TWO SCHOOL STUDENTS TO THE
AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOL TO MISLEAD THE INSPECTING AUTHORITIES
ABOUT
THE STUDENT-TEACHER RATIO.
 HOW IT HAPPENED ?
• THE SCHOOL WAS LOCATED AMIDST RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, 15 M (49 FT) AWAY FROM

A ROAD.
• THE SCHOOL HAD A SMALL GATE 4 FT (1.2 M), IMMEDIATELY BEYOND WHICH THE
CLASSROOMS WERE LOCATED.
• THE CLASSROOMS DID NOT HAVE ANY PARTITION AND AT THE END OF THE
CLASSROOMS, THERE WAS A STAGE.
• ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF THE STAGE WAS THE NOON MEAL KITCHEN AND A CYCLE
STAND, BOTH OF WHICH WERE THATCHED STRUCTURES.
• THE BUILDINGS IN THE NURSERY AND PRIMARY SCHOOLS HAD NO VENTILATION.
• NEAR THE EASTERN ENTRANCE, THERE WAS A NARROW STAIRCASE 4.5 FT (1.4 M)
LEADING TO THE FIRST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING.
• THE LOWER END OF THE CLASS ON THE WESTERN SIDE WAS CONNECTED TO THE
NOON
MEAL KITCHEN THATCHED ROOF AND THE CYCLE STAND ROOF, WHERE THE ACCIDENT
OCCURRED.
• THE SRI KRISHNA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL HAD 179, SRI KRISHNA AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOL
HAD 477 AND SARASWATHY NURSERY AND PRIMARY SCHOOL HAD 126 STUDENT IN ITS
ROLES, TOTALLING TO A STRENGTH OF 782 STUDENTS.
THE CASUALTIES
• 94 CHILDREN BELOW AGE OF 10 YEARS OLD WERE DEAD IN THE ACCIDENT.

• AND 18 CHILDREN WERE INJURED IN STAMPEDE.

• THE MAIN REASON FOR SUCH A HEAVY CASUALTY WAS THE PACKING OF THE
AIDED PRIMARY SCHOOL WITH CHILDREN FROM THE OTHER TWO SCHOOLS
TO MISLEAD THE INSPECTING AUTHORITIES INTO BELIEVING THAT THE TEACHER-
STUDENT RATIO WAS CORRECT AND THE ATTENDANCE FOR THE NOON MEAL CENTRE
WAS TRUE.

• THERE WERE OVER 800 STUDENTS STUDYING IN THE THREE SCHOOLS; THERE WAS
ONLY
ONE ENTRY POINT, WHICH WAS ALSO NARROW.

• SOME TEACHERS DID NOT MAKE ANY ATTEMPT TO RESCUE THE CHILDREN, BUT
ESCAPED
FROM THE SCENE.
 FACES OF
CHILDREN BURN
RESCUE OPERATION
• THE FIR SERVICE WERE AT THE SITE WITHIN MINUTES. EVEN AT THAT TIME
THE
FIRE WAS BLAZING.

• THEY PUT OUT THE FIRE AND ALSO JOINED OTHERS IN THE RESCUE
OPERATION.

• THEY AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC BROKE THE CEMENT JOLLY OF THE
BUILDING
AND MADE A VALIANT ATTEMPT TO RESCUE THE CHILDREN HUDDLED THERE.

• UNFORTUNATELY, THEY WERE UNPREPARED FOR THE SIZE OF THE TASK AND
SADLY MANY OF THE CHILDREN WHO WERE CAUGHT UNDER THE FIRE HAD
DIED.

CHILDREN EVACUATED THROUGH THIS WINDOW

IN SUM, THE REASONS FOR THE ACCIDENT AND FOR
SUCH A HIGH CASUALTY ARE:

1. PROHIBITED THATCHED STRUCTURE FOR KITCHEN CLOSE TO THE CLASS ROOMS;

2. 2. CLASSROOMS THEMSELVES OF THATCH AND INTERCONNECTED AT THE ROOF LEVEL
TO THE KITCHEN THATCH AND THE ADJACENT CYCLE SHED THATCH;
3. HEAPING OF OLD THATCH CLOSE TO THE KITCHEN – POOR HOUSEKEEPING AND USE OF
THE OLD THATCH AS FUEL;
4. THE PERSON WHO LIGHTED THE OVEN LEFT THE SCENE AFTER CLOSING THE KITCHEN
DOOR;
5. INADEQUATE EXIT FACILITIES – THE ONLY EXIT THROUGH THE COLLAPSIBLE GATE WAS
BLOCKED DUE TO LIGHTED BAMBOO AND THATCH FALLING THERE;
6. NO FIRE FIGHTING EQUIPMENT;
7. TEACHERS NOT TRAINED IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT;
8. CHILDREN UNCONNECTED WITH THE AIDED SCHOOL BEING STACKED LIKE SARDINES
WITH THE ULTERIOR PURPOSE OF BOOSTING THE ATTENDANCE;
9. SMOKE ENGULFING THE AREA OTHERWISE POORLY VENTILATED AND DARK.
10. AUTHORITIES NOT ENFORCING THE RULES.