THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The body of Nizam, an employee who died in a fire in Vembayam yesterday, was handed over to his relatives after postmortem. Nizam came to work in the shop three weeks ago. As he had varicose veins on his feet, Nizam couldn't move fast. It is presumed that this was the reason why he couldn't escape when the fire spread. Nizam was the lone breadwinner for a family of three children.

The incident took place around 7.30 pm yesterday. The hardware store caught fire after a spark during welding fell on paint. Within 15 minutes, the four-story building was completely gutted in the fire. The fire was put out after hours of effort by the fire force. Nizam was on the third floor when the fire broke out. The burnt body was found around midnight.

Preliminary estimates put the damage at Rs 15 crore. Police found that the shop did not have fire extinguishers or insurance. Nisaruddin, an expatriate, started the hardware store six months ago. Due to the lack of fire safety equipment, the rescue operation could not be carried out as soon as the fire started. The locals brought equipment from a nearby bank and tried to put out the fire but to no avail.