Warehouse did not have NOC: DGP

Thiruvananthapuram: The warehouse of the Kerala medical services corporation Ltd (KMSCL) on the outskirts of the capital that was gutted in a fire in the early morning of Tuesday, did not have any fire safety precautions or clearance from the fire department, DGP and director general of Kerala fire and rescue services B Sandhya said.
There were no measures, including fire extinguishers, in the warehouse. It also does not have the no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department, Sandhya said. The fire and rescue department can at present only say that there are possibilities of bleaching powder or alcohol mixture getting mixed with rain water and could be a reason for the fire. The precise reason can be ascertained only after forensic examination, she said.
The fire and rescue services chief said that whether it is a serious lapse on their side to store the chemicals like sanitisers, bleaching powder, etc. in a building which had no NOC from the fire department should be posed to the department concerned. “We have conducted a fire audit and also have recommended necessary steps to be implemented on the basis of it. The enforcement is not our responsibility,” Sandhya said.
It is the second instance in the span of six days that the warehouse of the KMSCL is being gutted. Last week, the warehouse in Kollam was also gutted in which at least seven persons were injured. “The fire and rescue services department cannot make any comments regarding the back-to-back incidents of fire mishap in the warehouses of the KMSCL. Only a police investigation can find out the reasons,” Sandhya said.