SALEM: Several people living on Sanyasi Gundu main road in Salem suffered breathing difficulty after a fire broke out in timber godown in the area on Wednesday night. The residents came out of their houses and stayed on the road as the area was engulfed in smoke. Some even brought out LPG cylinders out of the houses as a precautionary measure.
According to police, the fire broke out in the godown owned by Santhosh at 10.15pm on Wednesday. A team led by Salem District Fire Officer M Mahalingamurthy doused the fire after nearly eight hours of struggle at 6am on Thursday. Seven fire tenders and rescue lorries were used.
Fire and rescue service department sources suspect electric short circuit as the cause for the fire. Speaking to TNIE P Sivakumar Assistant District Fire Officer “After controlling the fire at 6am, we used earth movers to clear the gutted wood to control the smoke. Only property was damaged in the incident.”
A police officer who was at the spot said, “LPG cylinders used by four families and a coffee shop owner were shifted out by the residents fearing spread of the fire. However, the fire did not spread to nearby houses.
People faced difficulties in breathing, but they became normal after moving away from the smouldering godown.” Traffic resumed on the Sanyasi Gundu main road at 1pm on Thursday.