Delhi News: Fire breaks out at School of Planning and Architecture campus

Update: It was earlier reported that a fire had broken out at a Ministry of Education Office, Vikas Marg, in School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) campus at ITO. Delhi Fire Service (DFS) has rectified the information, clarifying that the fire instead broke out at the SPA.

No injuries or fatalities have been reported so far. The cause of the fire has not yet been ascertained, officials said.

According to the DFS, an emergency call regarding the blaze was received at around 10 am. In response, eight fire tenders were dispatched to the site to contain the flames.

The updated information says, “Today, at about 10.00 AM, information regarding a fire incident at the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), near ITO, Delhi, was received at PS IP Estate and marked to SI Yogesh Poonia. Fire-fighting operations were carried out by 8 fire tenders, assisted by 3 ambulances, 2 PCR vans, traffic police, and local police staff.”

“The fire was successfully brought under control and extinguished. No casualty or injury has been reported. The exact cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. The situation is presently under control, and no active fire remains in the building,” it said.

Authorities said the cause of the fire remains unknown and will be investigated once the firefighting operation is completed.

No casualties or injuries have been reported so far. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained, and further details are awaited.

Ministry of Education also clarified on the earlier information and said, “It is clarified that the Ministry of Education is located at Kartavya Bhavan-2, Dr Rajendra Prasad Road, New Delhi. Whereas the fire incident occurred at the premises of the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), located at ITO, New Delhi.”

“This clarification is being issued to avoid the spread of any misinformation regarding the fire incident. Further, the fire was minor in nature and was quickly brought under control. No loss of life or property has been reported,” it said.

About SPA

The School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi (SPA New Delhi) is an Institution of National Importance imparting education in Architecture, Planning, and Design. According to its website, SPA New Delhi provides training at various levels, in different aspects of human habitat and environment.

“The School offers highly sought after academic programmes in specialised fields at a Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral level. The School, in striving for excellence has always been in the lead in extending education and research to new frontiers of knowledge. Human habitat and environment being the basic concern of the School, the spectrum of academic programmes is being continuously extended by providing programmes in new fields and emerging areas,” it said.

“In addition to regular faculty, a large number of visiting professors, visiting faculty and contract faculty contribute to academic programmes of the school. The school offers opportunity for interdepartmental/ inter-university credits including those from foreign universities under MoU with School. SPA New Delhi continuously strives to be a globally competitive centre of excellence and has set a number of tasks to be accomplished and objectives to be achieved in the near future.”

When the earlier reports of fire mentioned Ministry of Education, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh smelled something “fishy”. In a post on X, Jairam Ramesh said, “The news of a fire in the Education Ministry’s offices is very concerning. It is also very fishy.”

The reports of a fire came as the Opposition targets the Central Board of Secondary Education's (CBSE) On-Screen Marking (OSM) system.

(With agency inputs)