PUDUCHERRY: Tension prevailed after a fire broke out on a cellphone tower, erected atop a three storey building in a busy market area here on Friday afternoon. The cause of the fire remains unknown.
Though the tower, at the corner of MG Road and Aurobindo Street was damaged, there was no loss of life or injury to anyone in the building that has a plastic items shop on the ground floor, a book shop on the first floor and a residence on the second floor thanks to the timely intervention of fire and rescue service personnel.
Two fire tenders were pressed into service to put off the flames, said Additional Divisional Fire Officer Ritesh Chandra.
The entire wiring of cables, circuit board, receiver cum transmitter as well as the generator was damaged. The extent of damages has to be assessed by the cellphone operator, Chandra said.
The cellphone operator is yet to be identified as no cell phone company approached the fire service office so far, said Chandra. Officials suspect overloading or short circuit to have caused the fire, he added.
There are three sources that power the cellphone towers for transmission and reception. These include electric power supply, UPS and generator.
Since there was a power cut at the time, the cellphone tower was being powered by generator when the fire broke out.
A team of technicians had serviced the equipment of the tower just before the fire broke out, sources said adding that it was not known whether this had any connection with the accident.
However the incident has shaken the people, who rented out their terrace for installing the tower, as there was no authority in Puducherry at present to check whether the stipulated safety guidelines had been followed.