Fire guts shopping complex at Kozhikode pvt bus stand
Kozhikode: A massive fire broke out at a shopping complex inside the mofussil bus stand in the heart of the city on Sunday evening, gutting a textile shop and several others. Thick black smoke covered the city for hours.
Though no one was injured in the fire on the upper floors of the shopping complex owned by Kozhikode Corporation, the blaze completely destroyed a large stock of textile goods (reportedly stored ahead of school reopening and Eid), a pharmacy godown and several other shops. The loss is estimated to be in crores.
Sources said the fire started around 4.45pm at Calicut Textiles on the upper floors of the building. The flames quickly spread across the top floors, causing panic across the city.
The fire grew stronger around 7.30pm, leading to a large-scale firefighting operation. Although firefighters brought it under control after four hours, small flames were still visible inside the building even at 10pm. The upper floors were completely gutted.
Fire units from Beach, Vellimadukunnu and Meenchanda stations were the first to respond. As the fire worsened, more units arrived from various Malabar districts.
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Airports Authority of India also sent a special fire tender from Calicut International Airport.
The fire was first seen near PRC Medical Store at the bus stand. Authorities quickly evacuated people, closed nearby shops and redirected buses. A major disaster was avoided as the complex was less crowded since it was a Sunday and everyone inside managed to escape in time. The exact cause of the fire is still unknown.
Firefighters struggled to douse the flames as metal sheets, large hoardings and signboards blocked access to the top floor corridors.
They used JCBs to remove the obstacles. Firefighters also cleared flammable materials from the lower floors and worked nonstop to stop the fire from spreading to the nearby four-story Fashion Bazaar building.
Traders claimed fire units took around 20 minutes to arrive even though they informed the department immediately. They also claimed the building lacked fire safety systems. The fire disrupted bus services from the stand and affected traffic on Mavoor and Rajaji roads.
Forest Minister AK Saseendran, MLAs Ahmed Devarkovil and Thottathil Raveendran, collector Snehil Kumar Singh, DCP Arun K Pavithran and deputy mayor Musafar Ahmed reached the site and led the rescue efforts. Meanwhile, the chief secretary asked the collector for a report on the blaze.
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