Major fire breaks out at Thoppumpady

Primary probe points towards short circuit as the cause of the blaze.

Fire and Rescue Services personnel try to douse the fire that broke out in a shop at Thoppumpady in the early hours of Tuesday.— PHOTO: BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A major fire broke out at a wooden box assembling unit at Thoppumpady in the wee hours of Tuesday in which one person suffered serious burn injury.

The blaze at the shop Cochin Packing Services, located on the Beach Road, was first detected at 2 a.m. when the raw woods stored inside the building caught fire, which spread to nearby shops and houses. It was finally doused by 9 a.m. after about five fire force units reached the spot.

Admitted to hospital

C.S. Johnson, 50, a resident of Chiramel House, Beach Road, was admitted to the Fort Kochi Government Hospital with over 60 per cent burn injury. He was the owner of an automobile shop near the gutted shop. A total of six houses and a transformer too were gutted.

“The damage is estimated to be over Rs.1 crore. The primary probe points towards short circuit as the cause of fire,” said an officer of the Mattancherry Fire Force station.