KOCHI: A major fire broke out in a shopping complex at Electronics Street near Pallimukku in the city on Thursday. According to the Fire and Rescue Services officers, the fire occurred at around 3.30 pm in the basement of the building and eight motorcycles, which were parked, were completely gutted.
The fire is also feared to have reduced electronic items and spare parts to ashes. However, the exact value of the loss has not been assessed yet. The timely intervention of the Fire and Rescue Services personnel stopped the fire from spreading to the four-storeyed building, which houses 21 shops, nearby.
Spotting the fire, few persons informed the matter to the Fire and Rescue Service officers. Six fire tenders from Club Road and Gandhi Nagar fire stations reached the sport and the 45-minute long efforts by 60 firemen doused the fire.“The cause of the fire is not ascertained yet
It seems there are two probabilities. Either a short circuit or the waste dumped in the basement might have caught on fire accidentally from a cigarette butt carelessly thrown by anybody who might have come to park their two-wheeler in the basement,” said an officer with Gandhi Nagar fire station.A lot of paper and electronic waste were dumped in the basement resulting in the fire flaring up. Though the fire was extinguished in 45 minutes, it took even longer for the smoke to subside.