A fire broke out at a firecracker shop on Kilpauk Garden Road on Wednesday night. No one was injured in the fire which gutted almost the entire makeshift stall.
The police said the accident took place at a shop located on the main road opposite the Kilpauk cemetery. It is owned by one Radhakrishnan (60), a resident of K.V.N. Puram, TP Chatram.
The fire was reported around 11 p.m. after the shop was closed for the day. The employees had arranged the crackers on racks for sales the next day.
Residents, who spotted the flames and heard a small explosion coming from inside the shop, alerted the fire department. Firemen rushed to the spot in three tenders from the Kilpauk, Egmore and Villivakkam fire stations and put out the fire within 30 minutes. The shop was nearly charred and most of the crackers were burnt.
The cause of the fire is suspected to be an electrical short circuit, sources with the fire department said.
“The owner of the shop had applied with the police for a licence and it was about to be issued. Officials had already inspected the shop and had approved it as he had adhered to all the norms specified by the police and the fire department. Whether the shop had started sales before receiving the license will be investigated,” said a senior officer attached to the TP Chatram police.
A police probe into the accident is under way.
