Tea powder, factory equipment destroyed in fire in Chikmagalur district

Tea powder and machinery worth nearly Rs. 5 crore were gutted in fire in a tea factory at Koradihitlu village in Koppa taluk of Chikmagalur district on Friday night.

As the fire, reportedly caused by a short circuit, occurred during nonworking period, no casualties were reported.

The fire was noticed around midnight.

The night guards informed the police and the fire brigade of the incident. Fire tenders from Koppa, Sringeri and N.R. Pura rushed to the spot and succeeded in preventing the fire from spreading, but could not save some factory equipment.

Aroor Ramesh Rao, managing director, Mysore Plantations (of which the factory is a subsidiary), was in Bangalore when the incident occurred.

According to initial estimates, property worth Rs. 5 crore (including machinery worth Rs. 2 crore and tea powder worth Rs. 30 lakh) has been lost, a figure that was also reported by factory manager Prem Kumar in his complaint.

However, after conducting a mahajir, the police estimated the value to be Rs. 3 crore.