THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Sree Padmanabha Theatre complex here was partially gutted in a massive fire on Thursday morning. No casualties were reported.
Officers of the Chenkalchoola Fire Station said the incident was reported by passersby who noticed smoke billowing out of the theatre complex at 7.25 am. Three workers who were inside the complex came to know about the blaze only when the firefighters arrived at the scene.
The firefighters had a tough time entering the smoke-filled hall where the fire had broken out. Officers said the fire might have broken out after a short circuit near an air-conditioner in the balcony of Sree Padmanabha theatre.
Three projectors, six 10-tonne air-conditioners, seats, fans and carpets were gutted. As per preliminary estimates, the fire officers pegged the loss at around R1 crore.
Jute and cotton materials used for sound-proofing in the hall also caught fire, resulting in a massive smoke. The fire was noticed only about two hours after it broke. Six fire tenders were used for the rescue operations. The fire was doused after about two hours. Timely operations by the fire brigade helped to prevent the fire from spreading to the lower circle of Padamanabha and the second screen Devi Priya.