VIJAYAWADA: A major fire, broke out at a pharmaceutical godown located on MG Road in Vijayawada, caused panic among residents on Thursday morning.
Five workers who were sleeping in the building observed smoke coming out of the windows and alerted the locals and fire department officials. However, no casualties were reported. Upon receiving information, fire department officials rushed to the spot and doused off the fire using seven fire tenders. According to fire department officials, the loss of property gutted in the fire is estimated to be around Rs 5 crore. The fire was initially spotted by workers who noticed smoke coming from one part of the building, which eventually spread to engulf the entire warehouse. As many as seven fire tenders from Krishnalanka, Auto Nagar, Kothapeta, Auto Nagar, Ajitsingh Nagar and Vuyyuru rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
On the other hand, officials evacuated all the nearby establishments and residents as a part of precautionary measures. “Short circuit in the godown is suspected to be the reason behind the fire mishap. However, a detailed investigation will be carried out to ascertain the reasons,” said the fire department officials.