Fire destroys scrap godown near Ponneri

The Fire and Rescue control room received a call around 10.10 am on Friday alerting that a godown in Andarkuppam was burning.

Three fire tenders were brought from Ponneri, Gummidipoondi and Sipcot. It took four hours for the firemen to bring the flames under control. 

The godown is used for storing unused items and also condemned trucks. The godown belongs to Aadhikesavan from Chennai. As it had several oil barrels and tyres, the fire led to a thick blanket of smoke that covered the entire area. The cause is not yet known, said police, adding that it could have started because of electric short circuit. They also suspect a lit cigarette could have triggered the fire because of oil spills around the facility.