CHENNAI: The record room of the Uthiramerur government school caught fire after a group of youngsters threw crackers inside the school premises during the Deepavali celebration.

The panchayat middle school is situated in Uthiramerur in Kancheepuram district. The school has a strength of nearly 250 students and it was closed from Wednesday noon ahead of the Deepavali holidays.

On Friday morning during the Deepavali celebration, a group of youngsters burst crackers and started to throw them inside the school. Some of the crackers fell inside the record room and soon the fire erupted.

According to the police, the youngsters had consumed liquor and burst crackers. After smoke started to emit from the room they escaped from the spot.

Later the fire and rescue team reached the spot and doused the fire. However, most of the important files were gutted in the fire.

The Uthiramerur police have registered a case and are searching for the young men who threw the crackers inside the school.