Goods worth Rs 20 lakh destroyed in cloth shop fire in Vijayawada
VIJAYAWADA: A massive fire broke out at the R9000 cloth showroom, Besant Road on Friday. The incident took place at around 6 am in the morning. The electrical short circuit is believed to be the cause behind the fire.
The locals informed the fire department officials on observing fumes emanating from the shop. The firefighters reached the spot along with three fire tenders and tried to open the shop but failed to do so. By that time, the fire had engulfed the entire store. All clothes and furniture inside were burnt to a crisp. Fearing that the flames would spread to neighbouring shops, the fire officials evacuated the entire area to avoid untoward incidents. It took more than three hours to douse the flames and no casualties were reported.
According to district fire officer (DFO) Avinash Jayasimha, a short circuit in the main electric panel board due to overload is suspected to be the reason behind the mishap and the loss is pegged at around Rs 20 lakh.
“Our preliminary investigation suggests a short circuit was the reason behind the incident. However, a detailed investigation will be conducted to find the exact cause. A case has been registered at Governorpet police station and the investigation is underway,” he added.