A major fire broke out in a supermarket at Okkiam Thoraipakkam on Rajiv Gandhi Salai on Monday morning. Four fire tenders and eight tankers of Chennai Metrowater took around three hours to put out the fire which was noticed at around 5.35 a.m.
However, smoke kept bellowing from Shree Serman Home needs even after the fire was extinguished. Many residents of the area, who had come to the store that sold provisions, toys, beddings, furniture, utensils and home appliances, returned back empty handed while some lingered behind watching the over 40 Fire and Rescue Services personnel attempting to put out the fire.
The store had around 10 steel shutters and all of them melted and shut down on their own due the heat. An earth mover was used to pull down the shutters to let the smoke out. Very little of the material inside, including cash, could be salvaged. The earth mover also pulled out the mangled frames of steel shelves used to stack items.
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Some of the residents of apartment complexes in the neighbourhood panicked when they saw the smoke. Traffic on the busy road slowed down as those inside passing vehicles paused to watch the events unfold. One of the fire tenders, which came to provide support those already working, was caught in the traffic.
The incomplete service lanes only added to the misery of the road users as hundreds of two-wheelers that took them to avoid the traffic had a bumpy ride. Work on laying interlocking bricks has not yet been completed. Though Rajiv Gandhi Salai became a toll facility from December 15, 2008 and toll prices have been revised twice, works on service lanes, pedestrian footpaths and bus shelters are yet to be completed by the Tamil Nadu Road Development Company, which manages the road.