CHENNAI: A major fire broke out in the wee hours of Tuesday at Periamet gutting three shops and spreading to two nearby houses. Nobody was injured.
Sources said the blaze started around 2 am in a private building on Vepery High Road. The building housed three shops dealing in shoes, sofas and leather products. All shop owners had closed their establishments and gone home when thick smoke was spotted bellowing from the premises.
Before firefighters could reach, the flames spread rapidly across the building and extended to two adjacent houses, damaging household items including refrigerators and televisions. Firefighters from Esplanade, Vepery and high court stations rushed to the scene, but the presence of highly inflammable materials such as leather and sofa foam caused the fire to intensify. Reinforcements were called in from Washermenpet, Kilpauk, Tondiarpet, Koyambedu, and Egmore.
After prolonged operation, the blaze was brought under control.