A fire broke out on the fourth floor of Thillaiyadi Valliammai building on Pantheon Road, Egmore, on Friday afternoon.
No one was injured in the accident. The fire is suspected to have been sparked off by an electrical short circuit.
The fourth floor, which is occupied by the pay and accounts office (east) of the State department of treasuries and accounts, was packed with people as Friday was salary day for government staff.
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A room that stored batteries supplying power to computers and other electronic equipment in the office is where the fire started, around 12.30 p.m. The staff evacuated the building as the flames began to spread and become uncontrollable.
According to the Tamil Nadu fire and rescue services (TNFRS), the fire call was received at 12.45 p.m. and four fire tenders from Egmore, Triplicane, and Vepery fire stations rushed to the spot along with over 15 firemen.
Two water lorries and a skylift too were taken to the spot. “We managed to contain the fire within the room and extinguish it in 15 minutes,” said V. Manivannan, divisional fire officer (Chennai Central) of TNFRS.
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Batteries, airconditioning equipment and parts of the ceiling were charred in the fire. Vehicular traffic was disrupted on Pantheon Road for sometime as the firemen battled the blaze. A police investigation is under way.