Major fire breaks out at textile shop in Kerala's Kozhikode

KOCHI: A massive fire broke out at a leading textile shop triggering panic among locals in Kozhikode district of northern Kerala on Saturday morning.

No casualty has been reported following the incident so far, police said.

The blaze, which engulfed the multi-storey building, broke out on the third floor and a few vehicles parked in the ground floor were also gutted in flames, police sources said. The fire was later brought under control by fire and rescue service personnel.

Some local residents noticed the fire and thick smoke billowing out from the upper storey of the building and alerted the fire service personnel who immediately rushed to the spot to douse the flames.

''No casualty is reported so far. It is yet to ascertain whether short circuit or any other factor has triggered the fire,'' a senior police officer said.

Though the fire was almost extinguished, thick smoke is still emanating from the building, he added.