Vaniyambadi fire due to meteor strike? Forensic probe on

VANIYAMBADI: Forensic officials from Vellore are probing to find out whether the massive fire at an incense sticks manufacturing unit at Thekkupattu near Vaniyambadi three days ago was caused by a meteor strike, sources said. A loss of over Rs 10 crore was reported in the fire.

Collector D Baskara Pandian, who visited the spot immediately after the fire, said, “Forensic officials were called mainly to check whether the fire was caused by explosives. Locals and police officers informed me that they felt the reverberations following the blast for a distance of three kilometres. However, there was no crater in the vicinity of the blast as would have been the case if it was a meteor strike.”

“Officials have collected white/silver coloured stones from the site for testing. However, when checked with the unit owner if the roofing was bent inward in case a meteor hit the building, he said the roof was blown some distance away,” Baskara Pandian added.

Scientist Chrisphin Karthik of the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Astrophysics, when contacted, said, “The incident could have been a meteor shower as the Lyrid meteor shower was anticipated between April 16 and 25. There would have been no crater in such a case as the shower would be akin to water drops falling from a bath shower.”

When informed about forensic professionals from Vellore taking samples for testing, he said, “The Physical Research Laboratory (RPL), Ahmedabad would be the correct facility to undertake such tests as they have the equipment and the expertise for such testing.”

However, needless to say, the incident created quite a flutter in the sleepy village.