A godown of the Kancheepuram district consumer cooperative society in New Washermenpet was gutted after a major fire broke out. Though no one was injured in the incident, grains worth Rs. 1.5 crore were lost.
According to police, around 10 a.m. on Wednesday, S. Venketaraman, who was in charge of the godown, saw smoke billowing out of a room at the back. He immediately alerted nearby shopkeepers and the police.
Fire tenders from Washermenpet, Korrukkupet, Tondiarpet, and Vepery rushed to the spot. It took the team more than four hours to put out the fire, as the main door of the godown was small and the firemen had to demolish the side walls to get in.
The New Washermenpet police, who have filed a case, said an electrical short circuit could have caused the fire.
