Bhubaneswar: A massive fire engulfed the Syndicate hall of Utkal University here Thursday evening. Although no casualties have been reported due to the fire, furniture and some electronic appliances like air-conditioners were destroyed.
According to sources, the registrar of the varsity and some officials were in the hall minutes before the incident took place in the evening. The officials are reported to have participated in an informal discussion for the upcoming Syndicate meeting Friday.
Registrar Dayanidhi Nayak reportedly noticed the fire while coming out of the hall at the end of the meeting around 6.15 pm. He soon informed the fire services authorities who reached the spot immediately. It took them around one hour to douse the fire.
Fire Brigade officials suspect that an electric short-circuit might have been the reason behind the incident. The syndicate hall recently went through a major makeover costing several lakh rupees. The massive fire reduced properties worth around five lakh rupees, claimed the officials.