Tense moments prevailed in the city on Sunday as a major fire broke out in the Rajadhani Buildings at East Fort. Several fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire in efforts that lasted for over four hours.
The fire erupted by around 3.30 p.m., soon after which the Fire and Rescue Services were alerted by a few passersby who noticed smoke billowing from the building. The fire, which is believed to have originated from a readymade clothing store, soon spread into the godown of a prominent garment company.
While the incident occurred on a typically-busy street, there were not many persons on the road, mainly because it was a Sunday. Moreover, there were no employees in the affected establishments, which normally would have bustled with activity on any other day. Notably, the fire broke out a short distance, roughly about 300 metres, away from the Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple, which witnessed a steady stream of devotees, even while the fire-fighting operation was on.
Over 25 tenders of the Fire and Rescue Services were rushed to the spot from various stations in the district including those in Chengalchoola, Chakka, Vizhinjam, Nedumangad, Attingal and Kazhakuttam. Besides another fire tender from the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), a well-equipped modern fire unit of the airport fire and emergency service, under the Airport Authority of India (AAI), boosted the operation.
The abundance of water in the Padmatheertha Pond nearby proved to be crucial for the efforts with the fire force personnel not being required to undertake long trips for refilling the fire tenders.
Three personnel who were involved in fire-fighting had to be hospitalised after they had complained of suffocation.
A.Hemachandran, Director General, Fire and Rescue Services, who led the operation, said that the actual cause of the fire could be ascertained only after a thorough probe.
