Wooden furniture and raw materials worth nearly Rs. 40 lakh were reduced to ashes in a fire at the Teja Furniture godown on Habeebullah street in Kadapa. Three cars and van in an adjoining automobile shed were also damaged.
Fire billowed from the godown at around 00.30 a.m. and fire service personnel brought the flames under control around 9 a.m. on Thursday. The shop owner, Pamidi Venkata Sriramulu, was away in China for material purchases.
Sriramulu’s father P. Subbarayudu, who resides in Y.V. Street, said he and workers left the godown around 11 p.m. on Wednesday after switching off the main power and were informed about the fire by local people an hour and half later. Fire erupted from the rear of the godown, he said.
They owned Teja Furniture showroom in Y.V. Street and furniture made by carpenters using wood procured from Taiwan and Malaysia were stored in the godown, Mr. Subbarayudu said. The tin sheet roof of the godown was on the verge of caving in owing to the fire mishap.
Meanwhile, the heat emanating from the fire led to damage of three cars and a van in an adjoining shed belonging to former Hindustan Motors distributor C.V. Deva Kumar, causing loss to the tune of several lakhs of rupees. Kadapa II Town police have registered a case.
