Fire breaks out at private hospital in Kelambakkam

At around 5 am on Saturday, the staff at Chettinad Super Speciality hospital at Kelambakkam noticed smoke coming out from the storeroom near the casualty ward on first floor of the building. Within minutes, the fire spread to other parts of the floor.

Even as the staff tried controlling it using fire extinguishers, two fire tenders from Siruseri and Maraimalai Nagar rushed to the spot and the fire was doused in 30 minutes. Police said the short circuit in the wiring might be the reason behind the fire.

As per the mandatory fire safety regulations, the hospital has ramps and enough setback space. However, there aren’t enough sprinklers to douse the fire, sources alleged. As the fire broke in the early hours, there were no casualties. The Kelambakkam police have registered a case and investigating.

Meanwhile, toys and fancy items worth Rs 2 crore were gutted after a godown caught fire in Madhavaram on Saturday. Thick smoke billowed from the godown around 7.30 am, and Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) personnel from Sholavaram, Chembarambakkam, Madhavaram and Red Hills arrived at the spot with four fire tenders and five water tankers. After a struggle of four hours, the fire was put off at around 11.30am, said a fire officer. However, the entire godown had been burnt.

Police said that the warehouse at Anna Nagar in Madhavaram belongs to Arunachalam of Tiruvallur. The products imported from China were distributed across the State from here, police said. A fresh consignment that reached on Wednesday was kept in the godown, police added. Madhavaram police have registered a case and inquiry is on to ascertain the cause of the accident, suspected to be due to a short-circuit.

In another fire accident, two shops including a doll manufacturing unit at Valluvar Kottam were gutted on Friday night. A fire service officer said, “Passers-by alerted the fire control room after noticing smoke emanating from shops behind Valluvar Kottam.” Five fire tenders and three water tankers reached the spot. Further investigation is on.