Chapter 981: A Small Fire at Primary School No. 1!

At noon, several tables of food were arranged in the canteen of the County Party Committee Compound.

Under the reforms pushed by Tang Ye, the canteen in Dayu County had undergone significant changes.

The ingredients for the meals could not be considered top-tier, but every dish was prepared with care.

Despite having plenty of complaints about their work, everyone was still very satisfied with the canteen.

Inside the private room, the dishes were all served.

Tang Ye held his teacup and said to Xue Ying, "Troupe Leader Xue, we still have to work this afternoon, so I can only use tea to replace wine to welcome you all."

Xue Ying smiled and said, "The food on this table is very sumptuous; one can tell by looking that you put your heart into it. Secretary Tang, I can feel your sincerity."

After speaking, Tang Ye picked up his teacup and toasted everyone one by one.

Li Youyou clinked her teacup with Tang Ye's.

Tang Ye smiled and said, "Teacher Li, I am very much looking forward to your performance."

Li Youyou returned the smile, "I will do my best to dance every movement well."

Yin Hong secretly twitched the corner of her mouth, thinking to herself that this man and woman were truly interesting.

They clearly had a close relationship, yet they acted so polite on the surface.

After finishing lunch, the group from the Provincial Song and Dance Troupe took a vehicle to the Heiniu Mountain Scenic Area.

Although the Heiniu Mountain Scenic Area had not yet officially opened to the public, a road up the mountain had already been built, making it worth visiting.

Tang Ye arranged for Shen Yuping to host them, as he did not accompany them himself.

Returning to his office, just as he was preparing to take a short rest, his cell phone rang; it was a call from Chu Weiming, the director of the Emergency Management Office.

"Secretary Tang, I just received news that a fire has broken out at Dayu Primary School No. 1."

The hair on Tang Ye's body immediately stood on end, "Are there any casualties?"

Schools are densely populated places, and since it was a primary school, a fire could easily lead to a major accident.

"I don't know the outcome yet; I just received the news myself. I will only know the specific situation later!"

"Has the fire department arrived? Where are the leaders from the Government? Does County Magistrate Jiang know?" Tang Ye took a deep breath.

This fire felt like a basin of cold water, making one feel extremely anxious.

"County Magistrate Jiang has already been notified. Fire trucks have already rushed to the scene to fight the fire."

"Alright, I am heading over immediately. If there is any situation, contact me immediately."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Ye made a call to Shi Yao.

"Secretary Shi, I just received news that a primary school in the county town has caught fire."

"What? Are there any casualties!" Shi Yao's emotions became agitated.

"I don't know yet!"

"I am heading to the scene immediately."

"I will go with you!"

They met downstairs, and the two took a car to the scene.

Sitting in the car, Tang Ye glanced at Shi Yao's profile and could see her worry and anger.

There are no small matters when it comes to safety, especially when it concerns children.

At this moment, the phone rang.

"It has been confirmed that all students have been evacuated. During the evacuation process, a male teacher at the school was very brave; he rushed into the fire and saved a male student with a fractured leg, though his own injuries are quite serious."

"Hurry and send the male teacher to the hospital for treatment; he must be cured. Although there were no fatalities, we must take this as a warning and have the education department conduct a summary and reflection. Other schools must also conduct fire safety education."

Hanging up the phone, Tang Ye shared the good news with Shi Yao, "The matter has been resolved; there were no fatalities."

The clouds of worry on Shi Yao's face dissipated, and she nodded slightly, "That's good!"

Tang Ye asked, "Are we still going to the scene?"

Shi Yao nodded and said firmly, "Let's go take a look!"

They arrived at Primary School No. 1.

From afar, they could see thick smoke billowing, filling the air and blotting out the sky.

Firefighters were holding firefighting equipment, still extinguishing the risk of potential reignition.

Primary School No. 1 was the best primary school in Dayu County, and many children and relatives of government officials studied there.

Therefore, the outside world paid particular attention when a safety accident occurred.

Jiang Anbang's leg injury had not yet fully healed.

He walked over, limping.

"Secretary Shi, there are still many follow-up troubles to deal with. Investigation and accountability are not the big problems; the big problems lie in the subsequent placement and schooling of the students, and where the funds for the repair or even reconstruction of the damaged school will come from."

Shi Yao's face was covered in gloom, "Organize a coordination meeting on-site and let the County Education Bureau handle the scheduling."

Jiang Anbang nodded slightly and called over the Education Bureau Director, "You must come up with a plan immediately."

The Education Bureau Director said softly, "The nearest primary school is Liberation Primary School. I just asked, and their school has empty classrooms; they can all be transferred there. However, rebuilding the school requires funds and also requires assistance."

Shi Yao looked at Chen Qing and asked, "Can we think of a way regarding the finances?"

Chen Qing gave a bitter smile, "Although there is some surplus in the budget, it is all earmarked for specific purposes."

Shi Yao said, "Move it out first for the emergency. No matter how poor we are, we cannot be poor in education. We cannot let the students have no school to attend. Other problems can be figured out later."

After handling everything, the risk was finally kept within a controlled range.

On the way back to the County Party Committee Compound, Shi Yao sighed inwardly, not expecting grassroots work to be so tedious and requiring such caution.

She had previously felt that Tang Ye handled problems too cautiously.

Now it seemed that Tang Ye was right; time bombs are everywhere and impossible to guard against.

A school fire is no small matter; it concerns a person's political life.

If there were more than three casualties, he, the newly appointed County Party Secretary, would not be able to keep his job.

Shi Yao took note of Tang Ye's strategy for handling the crisis PR; his reactions were swift, and every step was reliable.

At dusk, Chu Weiming reported the follow-up investigation of the matter to Tang Ye.

Subsequently, Tang Ye made a phone call to Shi Yao.

"Secretary Shi, the cause of the school fire has been found.

A section of the school's wiring was exposed and chewed through by rats, causing a short circuit.

Charred rat carcasses were discovered at the scene.

Of course, we cannot blame it all on the rats.

It also reflects, from another angle, that the school had safety hazards, failed to eliminate them periodically, and lacked fire safety awareness."

Shi Yao said in a serious tone, "We must still do a good job with safety publicity; this fire caused significant property damage, and we must hold the relevant personnel accountable. The male teacher who performed outstandingly should be commended."

Tang Ye nodded slightly, "Understood, I will communicate with County Magistrate Jiang and implement your instructions."

After hanging up the phone with Shi Yao, Tang Ye sighed; he knew Shi Yao would not let the matter rest there.

After all, a new official taking office must certainly establish their authority through certain events.

Shi Yao attached great importance to this sudden incident, so she acted fiercely, discovering that the school's annual maintenance funds had been misappropriated.

She removed the school's Principal and a Deputy Director of the Education Bureau who was involved.

The outside world also held Shi Yao in awe for her swift and decisive style.

In handling this accident, Jiang Anbang was still extremely cooperative.

After all, not long ago, Shi Yao had just secured two hundred million in road construction funds.

Although this capital was primarily in the form of loans, it could indeed effectively promote the development of Dayu County.

In fact, he had long wanted to build that highway.

However, even using the most convenient plan, he had been at a loss.

Yet Shi Yao had a way to secure it with ease!

There was another matter that made Jiang Anbang quite depressed.

Ever since Tang Ye and Shi Yao went to the provincial capital, the distance between them had quietly shortened, and their relationship had become much closer.

Jiang Anbang had always regarded Tang Ye as a friend for whom he would live or die.

Now, seeing Tang Ye drawing closer to Shi Yao, he felt both helpless and disappointed in his heart...