Fire at Abirami complex in Chennai

A suspected eletrical short circuit led to a blaze at the Abirami Mega Mall on Monday morning. Over 40 firemen battled the blaze and put it out within 30 minutes. No one was injured in the incident.

Sources with the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services (TNFRS) said the fire, near an eatery in the second floor of the building, was reported at around 6.50 a.m. on Monday and tenders from the Kilpauk, Vepery and Egmore fire stations were rushed to the spot .

“A little after 6.15 a.m., a security guard on duty turned on the main switch outside the Swarna Sakthi Abirami cinema hall on the second floor. Smoke started to emerge from the electrical unit. Before he could get a technician to the spot, a fire had started,” an employee of the mall said.

The firemen who reached the spot had to wear gas masks before they could enter. They pressed the tenders into action with support from Metro Water lorries and put out the fire within 30 minutes. A skylift was also brought to the spot in case of a rescue effort.

The false ceiling, wooden decors, doors and some other items in the eatery outside the cinema hall were partially charred. No one was injured in the fire as the few employees who had reported for work escaped from the building in time. If the fire had broken out during the later part of the day, it could have been devastating, fire department sources said.

Divisional Fire Officer (North) D.N. Velayuthan Nair, in-charge of operations for the day, said that the eatery where the fire started did not have a sprinkler installed .“The mall seems to have the necessary fire safety apparatus and signage. However, a police enquiry would ascertain all that and also the cause of fire,” Mr. Nair said.

The building, on Purasawalkam High Road, houses a mall with shops and food courts and three cinema halls. Over 5,000 persons come to the mall on a daily basis.

An investigation is on by Secretariat Colony police.