Two injured in fire at 20-storey apartment in Padi

A major tragedy was averted as the fire fighters acted swiftly and doused a fire that broke out in a 20-storey apartment complex in Padi on Saturday. As many as 13 persons were rescued from the building in which two people suffered injuries.

Residents of the apartment complex ‘Newry Towers’ near Padi flyover noticed smoke billowing out from the top of the building and alerted fire control room around 6.30 am. While many of them rushed out of the building after leaving the water taps open, some were stuck inside the building.

Fire tenders from eight stations including Ambattur Industrial Estate, JJ Nagar, Villivakkam, Koyambedu and Egmore rushed to the spot and put out the fire within 45 minutes. As the building was equipped with hose reel facility, it was easy to bring the fire under control, said fire officer Bhaskar. He said that the building has two separate ducts for electrical and electronic wires to all the houses. “The fire broke out in the electronic duct in the ground floor due to short circuit and the smoke spread to the top of the building. The wires were completely burnt and the smoke was thick. Had it happened in the electrical duct, the fire would have spread to the houses and caused major damages to properties and lives,” said Bhaskar.

Fire personnel rescued 13 persons, who were inside the apartments on different floors. A man and a woman, who work in the building, suffered minor cut injuries in the rescue operation and were treated at a nearby hospital.

The Tirumangalam police have registered a case on the incident and further investigation is on.