The blaze was first noticed around 1.30 am in the section where chemicals are stored. It has been speculated that the fire could have erupted from the spot where bleaching powder was kept.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The warehouse of Kerala Medical Services Corporation at KINFRA park in Menamkulam was gutted in a major fire outbreak reported in the wee hours of Tuesday.
The blaze was first noticed by 1.30 am in the section where chemicals are stored. It has been speculated that the fire could have erupted from the spot where the bleaching powder was kept.
The fire was accompanied by loud explosions and only security personnel were present at the spot when the accident occurred.
Meanwhile, a fire and rescue department official was killed while attempting to douse the fire.
JS Renjith, a 32-year-old fireman from the Chakka unit of the state Fire and Rescue Services, suffered fatal injuries after a portion of the building had collapsed on him.
The fireman was pulled out of the rubble with great difficulty and was rushed to a private hospital in the city where he passed away at 3.50 am. Renjith is a native of Attingal and had joined the force six years ago.
The fire and rescue services units from the district were deployed to fight the blaze, which was contained after several hours of effort.
Sources informed TNIE that the chemicals were gutted fire, while the medicines were not damaged as they were kept in a separate building.
The estimated loss due to the fire is pegged at Rs 1.5 crore.
The security guard of the warehouse first saw the fire and informed the fire services, a police officer said. "A beam of the building suddenly fell upon the fireman, crushing him. He was rushed to the hospital but he succumbed to the injuries," he told PTI.
Last week, another warehouse of KMSCL was gutted in a fire in the Kollam district, following which Health Minister Veena George ordered a probe into the incident.