KOCHI:An automobile workshop was gutted in Irumbanam in the wee hours of Wednesday.
According to officials of Fire and Rescue Service Department, timely action helped avert a major disaster as the workshop was located close to a petrol bunk.
Around 3 am, residents spotted a major fire at the workshop run by Thomas Mathew.
The fire service officials rushed to the spot from Tripunithura station within 10 minutes.“Four units of fire tenders from Tripunithura, Gandhi Nagar and Thrikkakara took more than two hours to douse the fire.Two tempo vans and tools in the workshop were burnt and the loss is put at Rs 25 lakh. Short circuit is suspected to be the reason,” an official said.
They said when they reached the spot the shop was aflame and they first tried to stop the fire from spreading to the petrol bunk. For this the gas cylinder and refrigerator inside the shop were taken out.
“There was no basic fire fighting equipment in the shop. As residents spotted the fire at the right time, a major disaster was averted,” he said.