Two fire accidents in Chennai destroy 20 houses, 25 shops; no casualties

Chennai: In two fire accidents on the outskirts of the city, 20 houses and 25 shops were damaged on Saturday. According to police, a fire alert call was received by fire personnel at 12.30 am on Friday from a market located on Shanmugam Road in West Tambaram. “There are nearly 100 shops, selling vegetables, fruits, coconuts and other provisions.

During the midnight, some vendors had noticed smoke from one of the shops and all of sudden the flames started to engulf the shop and nearby shops,” the police said.

More than 25 shops were damaged in the fire. “Sparks from electricity cable over the market may have caused the fire,” police added. The Tambaram police have registered a case and are investigating the reason. Tambaram MLA S.R. Raja visited the spot and consoled the vendors. Ironically, many shops in the market were damaged on the same day of last year.

In another incident near Pallikaranai, an LPG cylinder burst on Saturday noon damaging 20 huts. The incident happened when the construction workers had gone to work leaving their children behind.

“The home alone children might have opened the cylinder resulting in the fire. Although all the children escaped unhurt, properties worth Rs 10 lakh lost in the fire,” the police said. The Pallikaranai police have registered a case and are investigating.