Tension prevailed in the city after thick smoke, billowing out of a vast expanse of vacant plot on the road leading up to the first Goshree bridge and adjacent to a fuel outlet that caught fire, immersed large tract of areas in the heart of the city, including the High Court, on Wednesday afternoon.
The fire was spotted around 2.30 p.m. and it took over four hours for 30 firefighters led by Regional Fire Officer K. K. Shiju and five fire tenders drawn from Club Road, Gandhi Nagar, and Thripunithura fire stations to douse the fire.
“The dry grass probably got lit by some accidental fire burning even the green grass stretches, leading to the generation of thick smoke,” said P.K. Suresh, Station Officer, Club Road fire station.
Tenders with the capacity of 12,000 litres and 4,500 litres and another over 1.50 lakh litres of water from storage tanks of nearby apartments and hall had to emptied to douse the fire.
The presence of a fuel outlet behind which the plot was located and the Mangalavanam bird sanctuary in the vicinity further heightened the anxiety levels.
