Two Australian tourists sustained injuries while trying to escape from the first floor of a hotel where a fire broke out in the building at Singarathope in the heart of the city on Sunday evening.
According to eyewitnesses, the accident took place after a transformer adjacent to the Hotel Royal Sathyam burst and a spark fell on an air-conditioning unit on the ground floor. The fire spread fast to the first floor, triggering a panic reaction from guests.
Julie (55) of Australia, who was staying in a suite on the first floor, reportedly broke open the glass door of a window and tried to escape using a rope, but she slipped. She and her husband Michael (61), who had come to her rescue, fell down and sustained injuries. The couple have been admitted to a nearby private hospital.
About 320 persons, many of them attending a meeting, were evacuated to safety thanks to the timely action by the police and Fire and Rescue Service personnel.
Firefighting units from Tiruchi and Srirangam rushed to the spot and put out the fire in about an hour. Power supply was disconnected and traffic was diverted in the busy locality. Abhinav Kumar and R.Jayanthi, Deputy Commissioners of Police, S. Syed Mohamed Sha, Divisional Fire Officer, supervised the rescue operation.
