A series of fire mishaps in the early hours of Tuesday kept the fire personnel on tenterhooks.
Residents of Chilakaluripet woke up to the sight of a massive fire late on Monday night which gutted a row of shops selling used furniture behind the Bus Station complex. District Fire Officer Srinivasa Reddy said the fire broke out at 1 a.m. and within minutes it spread across the residential area reducing the shops to piles of burnt pieces. Panic-stricken residents ran out of houses and tried to douse the flames. As soon as the fire alarm was sent, three fire tenders from Guntur, one each from Narasaraopet and Chilakaluripet were sent to the area. Finally, the fire was contained at about 7 a.m.
Though the exact cause of the fire was not known immediately, fire personnel found the charred pieces of electrical wires in the spot raising speculations that a short-circuit could have caused the fire.
The shops have been a popular spot for getting old teak furniture and many people from different parts of the State go to buy the furniture. But the shops are located in a residential area and the fire mishap created a scare among the people.
Minister for Civil Supplies Prathipati Pulla Rao, who lives nearby, visited the area and spoke to the residents.
Another major fire broke out in a factory manufacturing brickettes at Varagani near Pedanandipadu reducing the items to a pile of ashes. Brickettes are made wooden bricks from agricultural waste and used as combustible fuel. Fire personnel doused the fire at the site.