THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The state capital had a scare on Monday when a fire erupted in the multi-storied KSRTC bus terminal complex at Thampanoor. The incident has exposed loopholes in fire security at the bus terminal which thousands of passengers visit every day. The fire and rescue services department has launched an investigation into the incident, to ascertain whether the fire was accidental or a case of sabotage.
The fire erupted around 7.45am on the fifth floor of the nine-storied building, which houses the motor vehicles department (MVD) office. The fire was noticed near the landing platform of the fire exit.
Chenkalchoola Fire Station officer Sajith S T said the fire was massive and took around 45 minutes for the fire and rescue services staff to douse. Since the fire exit was choked, it could not be used by the firefighters to access the area where the fire erupted. Also, the fire extinguisher installed in the building was not functional.