CHENNAI: THE fire has not been put out completely even late into the night on Thursday, but a decision has been made to demolish what was once an imposing multi-storey structure housing Chennai Silks in the heart of T Nagar. Experts consulted by the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and the Greater Chennai Corporation decided against the implosion technique as was done in the case of the structure at Moulivakkam, as it is a congested area with shops and residences nearby.
A portion of the building crumbled early in the day, about 24 hours after the fire began, and the decision is to bring the rest down in parts. That decision, however, is only the starting point of a laboriousprocess filled with uncertainties. For instance, the demolition machinery that the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Service have is not equipped to reach the top floors of the building. To counter this, equipment, machinery and vehicles, including jaw cutters, a robotic crane that reduces walls to disposable chunks, earthmovers that break the walls, skylifts, generator sets and more, and manpower found its way to the narrow streets around the building.
The otherwise-crowded Usman Road was filled with dozens of lorries carrying debris to the shop. The plan is to build a 25-feet plateau over which the machinery and vehicles can be mounted. “We will build a ramp on which the jaw cutter and other vehicles will climb. It will break the building into blocks which will be pushed inwards. This will bring down the building’s height,” said an official, adding that it may take hours before the demolition actually begins. “It may take up to three days for the demolition be completed,” the officer said. The decision to demolish the building was hastened after its central portion collapsed at 3:15 am on Thursday.
The smouldering fire and pressure within and the water hosed down on the outside had weakened the structure. “The fire was not fully doused even after the collapse. After discussing with experts, we decided that its best we demolished the building before it caused another disaster,” said Subodh Kumar, a senior corporation official. The demolition, however, was the responsibility of the management, with government only assisting the efforts. CMDA sources told Express that help was also sought from the State Disaster Management Team.
Were valuables salvaged?
A senior police officer said the fire could have started at the basement, where welding work was on around midnight. “A spark could have set the cardboard on the ground floor ablaze,” he said. The first efforts were taken around 2 am using fire extinguishers before calling for help. It is unclear if jewellery or clothing was recovered at that time. While this reporter and local sources saw many black duffel bags being carried out of the building by women, there is no confirmation that valuables or assets were being recovered