A four-storey building used primarily as a godown for bakery and confectionery products was destroyed in a fire that broke out in the early hours of the day. Fire and Rescue Services sources said it could be a case of short circuit though the exact cause of the fire could be ascertained only after an inquiry. The four-member family staying at the building escaped unhurt.
The building belonged to Anna Traders, wholesale dealers in bakery items. While the ground floor functioned as the outlet, the two floors in the middle were used as godown. The company owner P.R. Ranjith, his wife, and two daughters stayed in the top floor. The security guard at the adjacent building belonging to a media house saw fumes coming out of the windows about 5 a.m. He and the other neighbours shouted to awaken the family, tried to thrust open the door in the ground floor and started pouring water in buckets from the nearby rivulet. By the time the family of four came out.
Fire engines too had arrived by then not only from the Kottayam station but also from Changanassery, Pala, Kaduthuruthy and Pampady. The Fire and Rescue Services personnel had to refill the 13 units brought from these stations 60 times from the rivulet to bring the fire under control by 9.30 a.m. In addition to the 70 Fire and Rescue Services personnel, the local people also joined the firefighting.
The fire could have broken out following a short circuit in the freezer. The oil, ghee and vegetable oil kept in the hall could have led to the fire spreading quickly.