THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The death of fireman J S Renjith, while dousing the fire that broke out at the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) godown on Tuesday, occurred when he was trying to force into the building to fight the blaze there. Sources with the Fire and Rescue Services said Renjith was trying to enter the portion of the building after spotting smoke emanating from there. During the pursuit, a concrete slab and hollow bricks fell on him.
“We lost a hardworking and sincere officer,” said Fire and Rescue Services Director General B Sandhya. She said that there were no fire extinguishers in the building which was operating without possessing a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from her department.
The building, according to local sources, is more than 10 years old. Due to its dilapidated state and the lack of NOC from the Fire and Rescue Services, the KMSCL authorities had decided to disconnect the electric supply to the building owing to safety reasons.
“We enter the building using torch lights or flashlights of our mobile phones,” said a staff, who requested anonymity. According to other KMSCL sources, the bleaching powder was meant for distribution to hospitals in the city, while the rest of the 16 components had crossed the expiry date.
“The exact quantity of those items is marked in the software. All the items were stored in the building as per the rules. We did not flout any of the established safety norms and hence do not know how this fire erupted,” said a source.
Security guard Baburaj, who first spotted the fire, said the blaze erupted in the room where bleaching powder was kept. “I informed the men at the entrance, who then alerted the firefighters,” he said. Senior police officers, forensic officials, fire and rescue staff and officers from the electrical inspectorate visited the spot.