CHENNAI: Five houses were completely destroyed after a massive fire broke out in the Tiruvallurpuram area near Lourthammalpuram in Thoothukudi, according to a Daily Thanthi report.
The houses belonging to Karuppasamy, Arumugagani, Mary, Ramalakshmi and Madonna were destroyed in the incident.
The blaze spread from garbage that had been set on fire near a Christian cemetery. Due to strong winds, the flames rapidly engulfed nearby houses.
There are more than 50 houses in the Tiruvallurpuram locality, many of them with asbestos roofing. The fire reportedly spread uncontrollably from the burning garbage to the residential area.
Household items, including desks, beds and mixers, were reduced to ashes in the fire. A cooking gas cylinder in one of the houses also exploded during the blaze.
On receiving information, personnel from the Thoothukudi Fire and Rescue Services rushed to the spot in four fire tenders and battled the flames for a prolonged period before bringing the fire under control.
Further investigation is underway.