THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A massive blaze gutted two shops at Pazhavangadi in the capital, leading to losses worth Rs 1 crore on Tuesday. Nine firefighters were injured while dousing the fire.
The fire broke out in a showroom selling umbrellas and school bags in a two-storey building and spread to the footwear shop adjacent to it. The flames were first spotted by an employee of the umbrella shop around 9.30 am when she came to open the shop.
As the flames spread, 24 fire fighting units from the Fire and Rescue Services Department and a crash tender from the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport were pressed into service.
Since the alleys leading to the shops were narrow, firefighters had to climb tall buildings nearby and spray water to douse the flames. The fire was brought under control by noon and fully doused by evening.
The building which housed the umbrella shop is almost 50 years old. The back portion of the shop had been covered with asbestos sheets and converted into a storehouse where foam mattresses and fibre-products, including bags, were kept.
As many as 17 shops and seven houses lie in close proximity to the destroyed shops. As the fire blazed through the storehouse, firefighters evicted people from the houses. LPG cylinders were also shifted.
“The building was an old structure and lacked fire management facilities. The storehouse was built without approval from the City Corporation. The alleys leading towards the building were also narrow and hindered the movement of fire-fighting vehicles,” said A Hemachandran, Director General, Fire and Rescue Services Department.
District fire officer Abdul Rasheed said the blaze could have led to a huge catastrophe if it had not been contained. “It was a close shave,” he said. As fire fighting vehicles lined up along the busy MG Road stretch, vehicular movement came to a standstill.
Report sought
A Hemachandran has asked the regional fire officer to submit a report on the incident.
“The officer’s report will mention the reason for the fire. If it was due to sabotage, the police will be alerted,” he said. Revenue Minister E Chandrasekharan has also sought a report from District Collector A Vasuki on the incident.