Thatched roof house partially burnt due to cracker fire

TIRUCHY: A thatched roofed house was partially damaged after a cracker accidentally fell onto it. The alert residents doused the fire to avert spreading it to the neighbouring house in Tiruchy late on Sunday.

During the Deepavali celebrations on Sunday, a fireball from a cracker fell down at the thatched house of Saraswathi (70), from Ganapathi Nagar near Tiruverumbur.

The fire started to spread across the roof. Alert residents soon started dousing the fire and passed on the information to the Navalpattu fire and rescue personnel. But, by the time the team rushed to the spot, the residents had put off the fire completely and prevented the blaze from spreading onto the neighbouring houses.

The fire and rescue personnel gave instructions for the safe playing of crackers and appealed to the people to be cautious while playing with firecrackers.

Meanwhile, police had warned people not to firecrackers beyond the permitted time. However, a few people were seen playing with crackers even beyond the time and so, the Tiruchy city police registered cases against 26 persons.

The Tiruchy rural police registered a case against as many as 24 persons for violating the norms while firing crackers.