The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : 300 huts gutted, two killed in slum

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Feb 07, 2007
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

300 huts gutted, two killed in slum

Staff Reporter

The accident happened in Doomingkuppam in Mylapore

RAVAGED: A major fire devastated around 300 huts in Doomingkuppam near Mylapore in the wee hours of Tuesday leaving two dead. — PHOTO: S. R. Raghunathan

CHENNAI : Two persons were killed and 300 huts gutted in a fire that broke out at about 2.00 a.m. in Doomingkuppam in Mylapore police station limits on Tuesday.

Fire service officers said that the control room received a call at 2.35 a.m., and 13 fire tenders from Mylapore and Triplicane stations were despatched, along with 15 Metrowater tankers.

After about 90 minutes, the fire was put out. Though the reason for the fire was not known immediately, officials at the site told reporters that around 2,000 persons were residing in the area.

Each hutment measured about 100 to 150 square feet area and most of them were casual labourers engaged in fishing and other miscellaneous activities.

Two found dead

When the fire officials started rescue operations, they found two persons including a woman dead in the fire.

The locals identified the deceased as Charles (50) and Victoria (45), his wife. The bodies were sent to Government Royapettah Hospital for post-mortem. Mylapore police have registered a case and are investigating.

Divisional Fire Officer Vijayakumar among other officers supervised the operations. In another incident, 40 families were rendered homeless when a fire razed to ground 23 huts in Azar Khana area in Alandur on Tuesday evening.

Official sources said fire broke out in one of the huts at 3.45 p.m. Most of the inmates had gone out for work, while the children were away in school.

Short circuit

The fire soon spread and destroyed neighbouring huts. An electrical short circuit is suspected to be the cause, the sources said, adding the exact cause would be ascertained only after a thorough investigation.

Alandur MLA and Labour Welfare Minister T. M. Anbarasan visited the spot.

A sum of Rs. 2,000 and 5 kg of rice were given to each of the 40 families who were affected by the accident, officials said.

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