Fire breaks out at ATM server room

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Panic gripped residents and shop owners of Palode when a fire broke out in an ATM server room on the ground floor of a two-storey building on Monday. While no death was reported, a fireman, Anshad, suffered a cut on his arm when he tried to break a window pane to let out  smoke. Anshad is undergoing treatment at the Medical College Hospital.

The Fire and Rescue Services team of Vithura said the local police called around 11.30 am to alert that the server room behind the SBI ATM at Palode caught fire at around 11.15 am. Two units of fire tenders from the Vithura fire station pressed into service and it took them 45 minutes to contain the fire.

“We suspect that the fire was due to a short circuit. However, we will probe it further. Though there was damage in UPS and other batteries kept in the room, we managed to douse the fire without taking much time,” said G Chandrababu, station officer, Vithura fire station.

The fire was first noticed by the security personnel of the SBI branch which is functioning in the first floor of the building. He saw thick fumes billowing out from the room. Though the fire spread to the ATM counter damaging the air-conditioners, the timely intervention of the firemen prevented the fire from spreading to the ATM machine. The Palode police have initiated a probe to check  for sabotage attempts. A forensic team have also inspected the spot.