PALAKKAD: A massive fire that broke down at a tyre godown on Market Road in the city was brought under control after hours of hard work. Seventeen firefighting units doused the flames after working for more than five hours. The godown has been completely gutted in the fire. Initial reports said there was a loss of more than one crore. The owner said tyres worth more than one and a half crore were stored in the godown.

The fire broke out in the godown at 10 pm last night. The employees of a nearby hotel first spotted the fire from behind the godown. In the meanwhile, the fire spread inside the godown. As soon as the information was received, most of the fire brigade units of the district reached the spot. Despite their best efforts, they were not able to douse the flames. This led to a tense situation. With this, the fire brigade tried to prevent the fire from spreading to nearby shops. The fire was extinguished in their efforts later. The rescue operations were coordinated under the leadership of the district collector. It is believed that the cause of fire may have been setting fire on the garbage. The smoke caused by the burning of the tyres spread to nearby places.