A fire broke out last mid night at the Government Science Post Graduate College in Quetta, causing extensive damage to furniture, equipment, and records worth millions of rupees, fire brigade officials said on Sunday.

Five fire brigade vehicles were dispatched to the scene and managed to extinguish the blaze after several hours, officials said. Preliminary investigations suggest that a short circuit may have sparked the fire, but authorities are examining other possible causes.

Provincial Education Minister Raheela Hameed Khan Durrani visited the college on Sunday to assess the damage and requested a comprehensive report from the Secretary of the Colleges, Higher and Technical Education Department, as well as the college principal.

Durrani also called for enhanced security measures at educational institutions and ordered restrictions on the entry of outsiders into college hostels.