Over 100 city huts destroyed in blaze

Chennai

Odai Kuppam has around 200 huts, and most of the residents are fishermen and labourers from north India. The fire started in a house around midnight, and the dwellers alerted the neighbours. But the fire soon spread to nearby huts, driven by strong winds. As a lot of cots and cupboards were destroyed in the accident, the damage is put at lakhs of rupees. 

Ten fire tenders from Thiruvanmayur, Teynampet, Guindy and Saidapet rushed the spot as soon as the people informed the department. Speaking to DTNext, N Vijayakumar, District Officer, Fire and Rescue Service, South Chennai, said they received a call around 1 am and 10 fire engines were pressed into action. “In the beginning, it was very difficult to control the fire. 

However, we were able to put out the blaze around 3.30 am,” he said and added that a total of 50 firefighters involved in the operation. Shastri Nagar police are investigating to find out the cause of the fire. VIPs including D Jayakumar, Minister for fisheries, and Vagai Chandrasekar and Velachery MLA visited the area to console the accident victims. Saidai Duraisamy, Chennai Mayor, also visited the place. People who lost their huts have been accommodated in a private marriage hall.

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