Amid concerns over Broadway facing a huge risk of fire accidents, a toy shop on the street was completely destroyed in fire on Monday.
According to officials, the blaze at the shop, Game Zone, was first detected by Kochi Corporation’s cleaning workers around 5 a.m. On an alert, four fire tender units from Club Road and Gandhinagar fire stations arrived at the scene and doused the flames in an hour.
“Preliminary investigation pointed to a short circuit leading to the fire, which must have started around midnight. All the toys and gift items were destroyed and the overall loss is estimated to be around Rs.35 lakh,” the officials said.
The Fire and Rescue Service officials broke the locks of nearby shops and ensured that the fire did not spread. The fire was completely doused by 6.20 a.m., they added.
The gutted shop is located nearly 100 metres from the Broadway entrance from CSI Church.
A recent report by the Fire Department called for a comprehensive inspection of electric circuits in shops in the market and recommended the installation of proper hydrant network system, fire fighting devices in shops and control on unauthorised vehicle parking.
It also noted that the roads in the market area do not have the adequate width of five metres to enable the movement of fire engines. While the road at Broadway has a width of six metres at both ends, it only has a width of three metres in the middle.
LOOMING DANGER
Toy shop gutted; loss of about Rs.35 lakh
Fire Dept. report calls for inspection of electric circuits in Broadway shops
Roads in the area do not have 5-m width to enable movement of fire engines
