Major fire at two places in Kochi, train services restored; fire breaks out at film producer's scrapyard

KOCHI: A massive fire that broke out at a scrapyard near the Ernakulam South Railway flyover, shook the town. Gas cylinders in the godown exploded in the fire. Residents of nearby lodges and houses were evacuated as part of rescue operations. Nine migrant workers in the godown were also rescued. The fire was extinguished after hours of effort by the fire brigade. Rain in the morning also helped. Train services, which were suspended after the fire broke out, have also been restored. A house near the godown was gutted, but there is no casualty.

The fire broke out in the godown Sunday early morning at around 2 am. There were many flammable materials in the scrapyard. This led to the fire spreading rapidly within a short time. In the meanwhile, gas cylinders also exploded and the situation was out of control. The incident was near a residential area. Women's hostel, apartments, and houses were all nearby. This panicked people. The police, fire force and the locals who arrived at the spot got engaged in the rescue operations.

The fire was brought under control after a four-hour-long effort by various fire force units. A major disaster was averted as people in the nearby areas were quickly evacuated. Fire spread to a nearby power line.

The fire broke out at the scrapyard of filmmaker Raju Gopi. Although the cause of the fire is not clear, it is reported that there were no fire protection systems here.

Meantime, a car in the parking area was completely burnt and three cars and bikes were partially gutted after a fire broke out at a hotel near the airport in Nedumbassery. The fire brigade rescued a girl trapped in the hotel room.