Major fire guts aquarium godown, loss pegged at 50L

Thiruvananthapuram: A major fire broke out in a godown at Vazhuthacaud on Friday. The godown, spread across three buildings covered with sheets, was completely gutted in the fire. The godown was used to store various articles related to making aquariums, such as glass, feed, and other materials. The godown was owned by a person named Ajil, who lived in a house near the building. The godown has been functioning on the MP Appan road for around three decades. The district administration authorities and fire and rescue personnel said that the fire was brought under control after five hours. Fifteen units from various fire stations were deployed to douse the fire. The authorities said that a short circuit may be the cause of the fire. A detailed inquiry will be conducted later. The authorities have estimated a loss of Rs 50 lakh. Fire force personnel said that the godown was located near a by road and accessing the site of the fire outbreak and gaining proximity was a major challenge. Besides, the by road was dug up for various civil works, and the tyres of the fire tenders sank in the soil there, forcing the fire and rescue personnel to operate the fire hoses from the road. This made battling the flames even more difficult. The officials said that the building seems to have been packed with various kinds of substances, and although the fire could be doused after five hours, smoke continued to emanate from inside the building. The fire also spread to a neighbouring house, but was immediately put out. Around five workers were engaged in labour inside the godown when the fire was first spotted. They immediately rushed out of the building. The authorities said that no casualties were reported and all persons were safely evacuated. The tahsildar said that an inspection will be conducted to ascertain if various mandatory requirements to operate a godown have been complied with. Aquarium items and fish were being supplied to various shops from this place. The presence of plastic and thermocol inside the building aggravated the smoke, fire force personnel said.