PESHAWAR, Jan 24: Sixteen students were injured after a fire gutted their school in Nauthia Phattak area of the provincial capital on Thursday.

A police official said electrical short-circuit seemed to be the cause of the fire at Ali Model School.

Rescue worker Afaq Ahmad said it took firefighters around 40 minutes to put out the fire after evacuating students from the gutted classrooms.

He said nine injured students were shifted to Lady Reading Hospital, while the others were allowed to go home after being given first aid by Rescue Services 1122 workers on the spot.

The rescue worker claimed that five of the injured students got serious burns.

Dr Abdul Majid of Lady Reading Hospital told Dawn that doctors had given necessary treatment to all the injured before discharging them.

Later in the day, the provincial government ordered inquiry into the incident.

According to a statement issued here, the provincial home and tribal affairs department tasked the deputy commissioner of Peshawar with looking into the cause of the fire, and carelessness and negligence on part of the school administration if there is any.

He was told to submit report to the department at the earliest for necessary action.