School in Voronezh evacuated due to fire: building without power

Witnesses reported a fire at Voronezh School No. 16 on Wednesday morning, January 28. It is located on Malo-Ternovaya Street near Massalitinova Embankment. In videos posted on local public pages, agitated children and adults are crowding on the street. In total, there are around 500 students in this school, but it is unknown how many were in the building at the time of the fire. Residents say that more than a dozen special vehicles from the fire service and ambulance arrived at the scene.

The Main Directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MChS) for Voronezh Region clarified that a call to 112 from School No. 16 was received at 08:58. It turned out that the fire occurred in one of the utility rooms. But, fortunately, nothing serious — the fire was completely extinguished within four minutes.

School principal Vladimir Stepin told journalist Voronezh1.ru that classes were canceled today, and children were sent home — they will complete assignments remotely. The building of the educational institution has been disconnected from power. Specialists are inspecting the electrical wiring to determine the cause of the emergency. In-person classes are planned to resume on January 29.

School No. 16 is one of the oldest in Voronezh; it was opened in 1944. The building itself was built even earlier — in 1937. That is, it is almost 90 years old.