THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A major fire broke out in the KSEB section office at Vettamukku near Thirumala on Monday evening. A huge quantity of files and furniture were destroyed in the fire. Three fire engines of the Fire and Rescue Services unit from Chenkalchoola were pressed into service and the fire was brought under control. No casualties were reported.
According to the fire officials, an entire portion of the building was gutted and some official records were damaged, a senior fire officer said. None was there in the building then and the reason for the fire is suspected to be electrical short circuit. It took nearly an hour to douse the fire completely. The team comprised 15 firemen.
The incident occurred around 5.45 pm at the KSEB section office when one of the locals noticed thick smoke bellowing out of the building. Subsequently, they informed the fire station. When the fire force reached the spot, about half of the portion of the building was gutted. However, the front portion of the building was saved with the timely intervention of the Fire and Rescue Services team. “The roof of the building was made of partially with concrete and tiles. The tiled roof portion was completely charred. The fire erupted in a room in which the files were kept. Following this, the fire spread to the nearby rooms. The building is an old one and the loss of damage caused by the fire is yet to be ascertained. However, as per the initial conclusion, the loss can be evaluated below `5 lakh,” said Biju, leading fireman.