KOCHI: A massive fire broke out in a three-storey textile showroom at HMT junction in Kalamassery destroying clothes worth over `80 lakh on Tuesday.The fire at Valamkottil Textiles could not be doused till the time fire tenders reached the place in the evening. Local residents who were passing through the road noticed the smoke at 6.30pm and informed the Kalamassery police and fire force officials.
“By the time we reached, the fire had spread to the entire building. All equipment and clothes inside the building were completely destroyed. Luckily, there were no casualties,” said Kalamassery CI A Prasad.
The 4,000-sqft shop is owned by Valamkott Bakkar who resides nearby. “As lockdown is in force, many of us didn’t notice the fire. When we spotted the flames, we immediately called the officials and informed the owner,” said Jamal P, a resident.
Officials pointed at the possibility of short circuit as the reason for the fire. As many as 15 fire tenders from Perumbavoor, Angamaly, Tripunithura and Gandhi Nagar fire stations took part in the operation.
“As it was a huge structure, we found it difficult to control the fire initially. The owner opened the shutter on the ground floor, but we had to break the glass on the remaining floors to control the fire. It took more than two hours to extinguish the fire,” said a fire force officer.