The billboard atop of the city’s iconic 14-storey LIC (Life Insurance Corporation) building on the arterial Anna Salai went up in flames on Sunday.
Motorists spotted thick smoke coming from the signboard around 6 p.m. The smoke soon became a strong blaze as it was windy.
Balaji, a driver who was heading toward Marina beach, said he noticed the fire on top of the building from the Spencer’s signal itself. “A security staff was seen running inside. Immediately, I alerted the fire control room. By then, many motorists had stopped by the road side,” he added.
The building was cordoned off, and the traffic was regulated. The firemen used a sky lift to reach the top of the building and quickly controlled the fire by spraying water on the board and terrace.
District Fire Officer (Central) P. Saravanan said, ”Immediately after getting the call, we deployed 60 personnel, two sky lifts, water tenders, water bowsers and lorries from Egmore, Triplicane, Teynampet, Ashok Nagar. The fire was extinguished in 20 minutes.”
Officers of LIC, the Police Department and the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services reached the location and held an inquiry. The police suspect an electrical short-circuit in the billboard’s LED lights may be the cause of the fire. Since it was a holiday, no one except a few maintenance workers were inside the building. As per initial investigation, no one was injured and there was no major damage except the charred billboard.
The iconic building was the first skyscraper in the city when it was built in 1959. Similar fire incidents were reported in 1964, 1975 and 2016, the police said.
