Fire outbreak at Brahmana Samooha Madom; two houses completely gutted

ALAPPUZHA: Fire broke out at the agraharam of Brahmana Samooha Madom in Mullakkal. Two houses were completely gutted. The fire has reportedly spread to five nearby houses. The incident took place at around 7:30 tonight. Fire brigade units from Alappuzha and Thakazhi are trying to douse the fire.

The fire first broke out in the house of Usha Mohanan in the Mathattumuri agraharam, south of the Rajarajeshwari temple. The fire spread to the house of her son Arvind Mohanan, which was adjacent to it. Both houses were completely burnt down. The fire then spread to three nearby houses. The belongings in the houses were destroyed. One of the partially burnt houses was used as an office for Redyar Associates. The other two houses are owned by Balaji, a branch of the Kendriya Hindi Mahasabha. No one was there either.

The president of the Samooha Madom, H Narayanan, said that he heard explosions twice from the agraharam and went out of the temple of the Samooha Madom to see that the house was burning. The fire broke out when Usha had gone to the temple and Aravind, his wife and child had gone out.

Three units from the Alappuzha Fire Force arrived and it took three and a half hours to bring the fire under control. The 75-year-old houses made of wood in the agraharam were the victims of the fire. The agrahara consists of seven houses in close proximity. There are also shops near the entrance to the Samooha Madom. A major disaster was averted as the fire did not spread anywhere.