Kannur: A huge fire on Wednesday night, swept through a big business complex in Thaliparamba, Kannur, damaging more than 50 businesses and costing an estimated several crores in damage.
Officials said that no one died, but a lot of property was damaged. The fire started at the toy store Mitreds in the KV Complex near the municipal bus terminal on the national highway around 4:55 p.m. It took firefighters more than three and a half hours to put it out.
In just a few minutes, the fire spread to other stores, such as a supermarket, mobile phone stores, and textile stores. KV Complex is one of the busiest shopping centers in Thaliparamba. It has stores, offices, and jewelry stores.
People in the area were worried about the slow reaction to the fire, saying that it took more than 30 minutes for the first unit to arrive, by which time the fire had spread to a big part of the complex.
Eventually, twelve fire units from Kannur, Payyannur, Thalassery, Koothuparamba, Mattannur, Iritty, and other districts were sent to the scene. More than 30 establishments, including the two-story Shalimar Supermarket, were entirely destroyed.
Some shops’ gas cylinders exploded, which made the fire spread faster. Firefighters had a hard time keeping the fire from spreading to the upper floors of Jayafashion Jewellery, a well-known local store. The heat was so strong that it broke glass windows on buildings across the street.
Traffic on the national highway was stopped and then sent through Pazhayangadi. Early investigations point to a short circuit as the possible cause of the incident. There is an investigation going on since the tragedy has raised major questions about how well Thaliparamba’s commercial sections are prepared for emergencies and how safe they are against fires.