Fire at Thoothukudi match unit causes Rs 1 crore worth damage

THOOTHUKUDI: A major fire erupted at the match factory located near Kazhugumalai on the Kayathar road in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district, destroying machinery and raw materials worth over Rs 1 crore, officials informed on Wednesday.

The local police informed that the incident occurred on Tuesday evening and destroyed six machines used for match production, along with matchsticks and raw materials. Property and equipment worth more than Rs 1 crore were reduced to ashes.

According to Kazhugumalai police station, "Thoothukudi district, near Kazhugumalai, witnessed a major fire accident at a match factory owned by Button Mudaliar (54), a resident of Arumugam Nagar. He runs Pechiyammal Match Works near Koolaithevanpatti on the Kayathar road."

"Emergency response teams were dispatched to the site immediately upon receiving reports of the blaze to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby structures," local administrative sources confirmed while monitoring the ongoing firefighting operations.

On Tuesday evening, while workers were engaged in their routine duties. A fire suddenly broke out and spread rapidly through the factory. On noticing the blaze, the employees rushed out to safety, the police confirmed.

Local administration further reported that, "The fire spread from one room to another, engulfing large sections of the factory. Upon receiving information, fire and rescue teams from Kazhugumalai and Kovilpatti rushed to the spot and launched firefighting operations. After nearly three hours of effort, firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control. Since the workers had evacuated in time, no injuries or casualties were reported."

Kazhugumalai police have registered a case and initiated an investigation. Authorities are probing whether friction in one of the machines triggered the fire or if there was any other cause behind the incident.