THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A major fire which broke out from a shop at Aryasala here on Monday night resulted in five shops being completely gutted and partial damage to another six shops. No casualties were reported as none of the staff were present inside the shop and those who were in the vicinity escaped after noticing the fire. More than nine units of the Fire and Rescue Services were pressed into service to control the fire which started at the KRF parcel centre and quickly spread to the other shops. The fire created panic as many shops and houses are situated in this thickly-populated shopping locality.
The fire was noticed by the local people around 10:20 pm and two fire engines came to the spot immediately. More Fire and Rescue Services units from Airport and Titanium fire stations were pressed into service after the fire quickly spread to nearby shops. Local people alleged that the two fire engines which reached the spot first were not carrying enough water and returned mid-way to fill water. A team headed by City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham led the rescue operations.
Meanwhile, a person who was involved in rescue work was injured and was shifted to a nearby hospital. Local people actively participated in the rescue operations. Initial reports attributed the reason of the fire as a short circuit but no official confirmation was available regarding this. The efforts to douse the fire was still going on at 12.30 am at the time of going to the press.
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